delicate dealings
by KokoLockhart
Summary: they were from two different mindsets and backgrounds. after tikal encountered numerous assaults, her uncle thought it was time to hire a bodyguard to protect her. even though she was against the idea completely, she couldn't help herself when she started falling for him. hard. — a shadikal AU story.
1. Chapter 1

There were many times in Tikal's life that she was scared. Her dead father's wrath, watching her mother dying of cancer right in front of her, her brother serving the military and thinking about him everyday hoping he was safe, her bullies in school. She had to be homeschooled because of those bullies. All they ever did was spread gossip about her family and would envy her prestigious and wealthy lifestyle because of her uncle.

Even as wealthy as she was, Tikal didn't feel like it one bit. Rich people were always deemed confident. She wasn't. Rich people were strong. She wasn't. Not like Knuckles. Before Knuckles enlisted himself in the military for two years, he decided to become an executive at NASDAQ, with the help of their uncle, of course. Knuckles always wanted to become a stock investor and he rightfully earned his place after some hard work and schmoozing.

And Tikal? Well... she wanted to become an architect. However, that dream went down the drain when her efforts came to waste. Her father would berate her for it and the trauma of his yelling and trashing her designs haunted her for the rest of her life. Even if he was dead, he'd still manage to crawl up into her head and play mind games with her.

So when her mother died, she decided it was best to just take care of her diner that she left behind. Tikal didn't mind it at all. Even though it was the complete opposite of her occupation, she wanted to do it all for her mother. She loved cooking and so did Tikal. Her staff were friendly and she was able to hire more people as business became much bigger.

The diner had always attracted attention, but it garnered even more attention when she became owner in her mother's stead.

Some unnecessary attention she didn't even want and was scared of.

Scared. Scared. _Scared._

She was always scared of the world. _Always._

So when she stepped into her lawyer's office that Monday afternoon, her fear spiked up considerably. She knew whatever he had to say wasn't going to be pretty. It usually never was.

"Scott?"

"Tikal," Scott said in greeting to the echidna and gestured her to the chair opposite his desk, "Please have a seat."

Tikal closed the office door behind her and sat down, her hands resting on her lap as she waited for him to start talking.

"I heard about last night," he slowly began causing her to grimace shortly, "First and foremost, I'm glad to see that you're okay. What happened was something no woman should experience."

"Thanks..."

"But this isn't looking too good, Tikal. That was the fifth time in two weeks someone's tried to assault you."

"I know-"

"Yes, _you know_ all right," he rolled his eyes with a diligent scoff, "You need to stop being naive all the damn time and let loose that pacifist nature of yours."

She frowned at his comment. "Trying to fight them wasn't an option... Th-They were twice the size of me!"

"Going out at bloody _three o'clock_ to go get some _'fresh air'_ wasn't an option either, Tikal," Scott sneered at the young woman, "_Christ_, why would even want to leave the house around that time? The garden across your own room would've been enough."

"It was hot-"

"You have air con."

"I needed food-"

"There was plenty of food around the house, Tikal. Your maid dropped some off while you were at work running the diner."

The echidna didn't say anything in response and averted her gaze away in defeat. "I-I couldn't sleep, Scott. The diner's been so busy lately... I'm so stressed just thinking about it."

"I know you feel that way, Tikal. I know," he said in a softer tone this time, "But let's face it, that would of been far better than getting harassed by those drunk bastards last night."

Tikal remained silent, her thoughts getting into a sudden twist.

Scott rubbed his temples in contemplation before he said something else, "You're lucky I've thought ahead with this situation."

Tikal suddenly grew curious as she blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"You won't like it but-"

"Scott, please."

"Your uncle thought it was a rash idea but..." Scott sighed and leaned back against his chair, "He decided it was best to hire you a bodyguard."

The words didn't seem to register in her head properly as she found herself repeating idly, "...A _bodyguard?_"

"Yes," Scott replied and looked through his files, "I would also think you'd need one, given your fragile condition. There's still a significant amount of sick buffoons wanting to take advantage of you so I decided to go with plan..." he sent her a dry stare,_ "E."_

Tikal looked at the man, sending him a silent protest signalling that she wanted to reject the idea profusely.

"I know you think it's ridiculous, Tikal," Scott sighed, "But it's for your own good. Your uncle and I have looked into the best ones I could possibly find and they will ensure your safety with the utmost guarantee."

"It's a little bit excessive though, don't you-"

"Trust me, it's not," her lawyer interjected, "You and your uncle came to me so this problem would be fixed, right? Well, I'm fixing it now and this is all I can do. He's far too busy running a billion dollar company to keep watching over you all the time, especially seeing that your brother's gone off to the military."

"B-But a _bodyguard_, Scott? I understand what you mean but..." Tikal paused and contemplated her next words, "It feels so... _controlling._"

"What would it be then, Tikal?" Scott asked, a slight sardonic tone reaching his voice, "Disgusting lowlife cunts touching you up like you're some hot snack or having someone who could _actually_ finally put a stop to all of that? Take your pick."

Tikal shared the longing gaze with her lawyer before sighing as she nodded reluctantly. "All right, I understand."

He studied her for a few more moments before nodding assertively. "Good, glad to have that out of the way then. Your uncle's not paying me for nothing, you know."

She pressed her lips and watched Scott as he started to rummage through his case files again before asking, "When... When will I be meeting them?"

"Should be soon-"

The office door swung open, causing Tikal to jolt in her seat as she turned her head to face the person who'd just entered.

_"Or now,"_ Scott said wryly as he eyed their new guest when they came to stand opposite his desk, "Good afternoon to you too, Shadow."

"I would have liked an earlier notice, Palmer," Shadow snarked whilst pocketing his hands into his suit pants, "Perhaps not during the fucking rush hour."

"My apologies. However, this is quite the desperate situation we're in right now, wouldn't you agree?"

Shadow threw a glance at her. "So you mentioned."

Meanwhile, Tikal sat stiff still in her chair as she eyeballed the other man in front of her with restrained surprise.

"Tikal, this is Shadow Cordae," Scott told her before throwing a dry look at the black hedgehog, "He was quite the bastard to catch, you know. Wasn't too keen on it at first after some good digging into the pockets. He's one of the best bodyguards there is and won't let a thing go near you. Call him your knight and shining armour, if you'd like."

"...Pleased to meet you, Miss Aldaine," Shadow said simply with a curt nod and stood beside Scott behind his desk.

Whatever Scott was saying next flew above her head as Tikal kept her gaze on the newcomer.

He was probably the most handsomest man she'd ever seen.

He looked sturdy, very strong from his appearance. He wore a black suit with matching dress shoes with a white shirt tucked underneath his pants. His black tie was slightly loosened, showcasing his rush to get here in such short notice. Sleek black and red-streaked quills flew wildly over his head. What really captivated her were his pair of red eyes. She'd never seen that colour on anybody before and they looked almost scary... _scarily beautiful._

It was when she realised that he noticed she was ogling at him, that she finally paid her attention to Scott in quick haste.

"So do you understand what I'm saying, Tikal?" Scott asked her as he filed his documents, "Shadow will accompany you wherever you go and you will not be allowed to leave your home without him there with you. Got it?"

Seeing that was no room for argument in Scott's eyes, Tikal timidly nodded, her hands bracing themselves against the armrests of her chair. "Y-Yes..."

"Fantastic!" Scott got up and gestured them out the door, "Shadow, take Tikal to her work place," he then looked at Tikal, "I'll let your brother know about the situation."

Knuckles wouldn't be taking the news lightly. He'd probably call her every second of the day if he could to make sure she was okay. She wished she could hear his voice again though. It's been weeks and last she heard, he injured his arm while in training. He had the option to come home for a while, but he profusely declined and wanted to keep going. It's almost been a whole year and Knuckles was a very determined and stubborn person that Tikal gave up on trying to change his mind and just wished him to be safe and said that she missed him.

"Miss Aldaine?"

Tikal quickly erased the thoughts from her head and met Shadow's awaiting gaze. "Y-Yes, sorry," she got up from her chair and nodded in thanks at Scott's direction before Shadow led her out of the office and down the hallway. He stood by her as they reached a black SUV outside. Tikal blinked at the luxurious vehicle in front of her before Shadow opened the passenger seat door.

"Thank you," she said and scurried inside as he shut the door. Tikal idly glanced around the interior for a second before Shadow got into the driver's seat. When he started the car up, the touchscreen in the middle pulled up a map and she saw the location of her work place planted in the corner of the menu.

Right. He practically knew all the details about her.

So he could protect her, _she had to remember that._

The ride was quiet. Tikal wasn't entirely in the mood to start up a conversation with a person she's known for just a few minutes and it seemed he wasn't bothering to either. The predicament was sudden and she wasn't entirely comfortable with it at all. It was good, because she wouldn't have to worry about leaving work late. It was bad, because then she'd feel like a burden and having someone like a bodyguard watch her every step of the way just added onto the fact of how much of a weak individual she really was.

But she had to be safe. She _needed_ to. She promised Knuckles and her mom.

She needed to believe in her uncle and Scott. Scott had been her uncle's lawyer ever since he started business, so she'd been around the man as many times as she could to support her uncle. She had to trust them. _She had to._

From her peripheral, she saw his hands working on the steering wheel and the gear shift. When the car came to a stop at the red light, she took a peek at the rear view mirror to see him looking ahead on the road. He was wearing black sunglasses and there was a small earpiece attached to him. He was speaking quietly into it, responding with quick and simple words.

Maybe it was just her, but even though she couldn't see his eyes in those sunglasses, she could somehow feel him gazing back at her through the mirror.

Quickly looking away, Tikal spent the rest of the time in the car just looking out the window. After ten more brooding minutes, they were just passing by Franklin Street where Shadow parked the car near the curb. Eager to get out, Tikal grabbed the door handle but it was locked. She sent a questioning gaze at Shadow's direction but he'd already gotten out after killing the engine. She watched him walk around the car and then open her door.

_...What?_

"I'm required to lock your door from the inside," he answered her silent question, "For safety measures."

Tikal didn't budge from her seat as she stared at him in length with a small hoarse whisper, "I don't like it..."

"Whether you like it or not, it's for your own safety, Miss Aldaine," he said with no room for argument and extended his hand out for her to take.

She bit the corner of her lip anxiously and sighed, taking his hand as he helped her off from the car. She began walking down the footpath and Shadow was immediately at her side. She tensed slightly but calmed down quickly when they neared the restaurant.

This was going to take some getting used to.

When they got to the entrance, Tikal was about to fish for her keys so she could unlock the door until Shadow's voice stopped her,

"Give me your phone."

She turned to look at him. "W-What?"

"Your phone," he repeated.

After another pending moment, Tikal dug through her bag and got out her phone, unlocking it before hesitantly handing it over to him. She saw him tap in some numbers and then gave it back to her. "My number," he said, "Call me if I need to pick you up early or if anything happens."

Tikal looked down at his contact on her phone and nodded. "R-Right, thank you."

He nodded back at her. "I'll pick you up at eleven. Do not leave the building until then."

She watched him go and lingered at her spot before he was out of sight.

"_Wow_, who was that?"

Tikal jumped at the voice and whipped around to see her friend, Blaze, walking up to her with a somewhat subtle sly smile on her features. "Was that your boyfriend?"

"N-No!" Tikal immediately responded, her cheeks growing red, "He's-" She paused for a second, wondering how she was going to explain to her friend about the whole mess of a situation she was in. Though, she trusted Blaze all her heart to keep everything under wraps as she had always done and so went ahead to answer honestly, "He's my bodyguard..."

Blaze was dumbfounded and just blinked at her. "Your what?"

Feeling embarrassed, Tikal just nodded meekly and motioned her to come inside. "I-I'll explain everything..."

...

"What?!"

"Sh-Shh!"

"Those pricks... they did that to you?!" Blaze was quieter now but the rage was still held within her eyes, "Who were they?!"'

"I-I don't know..." Tikal frantically looked around. It was busy in the restaurant and she and Blaze were on their small break as they huddled together into the back, "But that's why my uncle's lawyer got him for me... so it doesn't happen again."

"Tikal, that wasn't the only time this week. You should've called the police!"

"I did!" she exasperated, "But they're still looking for the other guys and Scott was getting tired of it."

Blaze sighed and leaned her forehead against her hand. "Jesus Tikal, I'm getting worried. I _am_ worried."

Tikal pressed her lips together as she looked at Blaze apologetically. "I know and I-I'm sorry."

"At least you're getting it sorted out..._ finally_," Blaze said at length, "Shit, if I had known sooner, I would've beaten their asses."

"...A reason why I didn't tell you sooner," she said whole heartedly, making her friend chuckle.

"I mean it, Tikal. Getting harassed like that isn't something I take so lightly, especially when it comes to you."

The echidna winced a little at her words. "If I fought them, things would've gotten worse."

"You know where their weak spots are, right?" Blaze suddenly questioned her, "_Their balls_. Kick them in the damn balls and they're on the floor crying the next second."

Tikal drew back from the intense gaze she was giving her and laughed nervously. "R-Right..."

Blaze laughed and shook her head before swiftly changing the subject. "So, that bodyguard..."

"Blaze."

"What? He was hot!" the purple cat put up her hands in defense, "Can't a girl comment? What's his name?"

Tikal ignored the feeling of her mouth going dry and promptly responded, "...Shadow."

"Shadow...?"

"Yes..."

"Huh..." Blaze stared at her idly as she leaned back against her chair, "You know, I think I've seen him around somewhere on the newspaper a while back."

"You have?"

She nodded. "What's his last name?"

"Cordae," Tikal said without missing a beat.

"That's right!" she clicked her fingers when she registered the name, "He used to work at the G.U.N! Everyone from over there always made it into the papers and news somehow but he would mostly be on them. Think it had to do with him getting praise from the community, he saved a woman from getting shot by some random drunk passerby."

"Really, that was him?" Tikal couldn't help but feel on edge now, "If he had such a status from the G.U.N, then how did my uncle and Scott manage to get him to protect me?"

Blaze shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe your uncle knew him through someone? Or just knew him personally?" she then laughed, "You aren't exactly under wraps either, Tikal. Shadow probably knew about you long before you've known him."

Her shoulders slumped. "Maybe. He seemed to know Scott pretty well," Tikal then sighed and shook her head, "I've only known him for a few minutes and he's already intimidating."

"Bodyguards aren't supposed to be any less intimidating. He's just doing his job."

"Y-Yeah, I guess you're right," she let out a small laugh and joked, "I wish you were my bodyguard instead."

Blaze's eyes beamed. "Can you imagine that?!"

She smiled. "That's the scary part, _I actually can."_

They shared another laugh and talked some more before their break was over. Eventually, the diner got packed throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening and Tikal got to work with managing the pay and to see how her staff were doing.

Once it was around ten o'clock that night, Tikal smiled at two of her staff members as they packed up to leave and said their goodnight. When she was counting up the money they made today, she stopped when Blaze entered through her office.

"I was thinking to go down the club for a bit, do you wanna come with?" Blaze asked as she put on her coat.

She checked the time on her wrist watch and apologetically shook her head. "Shadow's going to pick me up in an hour. I can't leave to go anywhere at this time until he does."

Her friend rolled her eyes and sent her pleading look. "Please, Tikal? We haven't had a girl's night out since forever!"

"B-But," Tikal bit her lip since Blaze was right about that, "I'm going to get into so much trouble..."

"And?" Blaze pressed, "I'm going to be there with you, so you won't be alone."

She was contemplating in her head. It wouldn't hurt, would it?

"Just _one_ drink. Please?"

Sighing heavily, Tikal just decided to give in. "All right. Let me just grab my coat."

...

"I-I didn't think you'd wanna dress up for it either..."

They entered the club, the music booming against the big speakers. People were dancing, drinking... having their little make-out sessions and probably _much more_ in other places.

Clubbing never used to be a thing for Tikal. Knuckles never wanted her to go, because he was afraid and overly protective of the fact that someone could drug her drink and take advantage of her. Though, ever since Knuckles got his own penthouse and became busy because of his work schedules at NASDAQ, she would promptly go whenever Blaze would text her. It wasn't something she wanted to feel guilty for but... she was _twenty-two_ now and she did wanted to have some fun.

"Of course!" Blaze exclaimed, "Don't you wanna look hot?!"

Tikal looked down at her tight black dress she was wearing with matching stilettos. "It's... _revealing."_

Blaze scoffed, unblinking her hand as they reached the bar table. "You look beautiful, Tikal."

She blushed. "Thanks. You do as well, Blaze," she said and looked down at her friend's blue dress, "...Impressing someone tonight?"

It was the cat's turn to go red. She looked away slightly when the bartender handed their drinks. _"Maybe..."_

Tikal smiled knowingly and took a sip of her drink. "Is it Silver?"

"Sorry Tikal... I dragged you into this," Blaze said sheepishly, "I couldn't go through it alone and I-"

"It's okay," she said and reassured her, "I-I'm not Cupid but... I hope things do go well for you too. Anyway," Tikal idly looked around the club, "I sort of did need this."

"Sort of?"

She giggled. "Okay, I really needed this."

"There we go!" Blaze cheered as they chinked their drinks together, "Business has been good lately."

Tikal nodded. "Mm, it has been. I'll admit it's still a little difficult to finance everything on my own without Knuckles's help but I'm glad I know I can manage with your help too."

"Speaking of him, he'd kill you if he saw you in that dress!"

"He'd kill me if he ever finds out I've been clubbing while he's gone," she laughed out.

Blaze grinned and then asked, "How about your uncle? Is he doing okay?"

"He is, he calls and checks up on me from time to time to see how I'm doing with the diner."

"I'm glad he cares too."

Tikal smiled softly. "Me too."

"Blaze!"

They both turned their heads around to see Silver walking up to them with a drink in his hand. He slowed down his steps when he took note of what Blaze was wearing, his eyes going down her dress closely.

"S-Silver..." Blaze stammered, throwing a quick nervous glance at Tikal before looking back at him, "Nice seeing you here..."

"Feeling's mutual," he said and then waved at Tikal with a smile, "Hey Tikal!"

"Hi," she smiled back at him and noticed Blaze's hesitance of the situation and Silver not seeming to take his eyes off her friend, "...Blaze looks good tonight, doesn't she?"

Tikal bit her lip to refrain herself from laughing when the cat quickly shot her gaze to her.

"Huh?" Silver immediately snapped out of it and scratched the back of his head as a blush tinted his cheeks, "Y-Yeah, she does..."

Blaze's eyes widened and her cheeks managed to match his. "Th-Thanks..."

Tikal looked between them and then said to Silver. "Why don't you dance with her?"

Silver looked at Blaze intently and merely smiled, offering her his hand. "Do... Do you want to?"

Blaze silently travelled her gaze down to his hand, her cheeks reddening even more. She took it and looked back up at him as she stood from her seat. "Of course..." she then turned to Tikal, "Y-You don't mind?"

Tikal just shook her head with a happy grin. "Not at all."

"Make sure to call me," she said in a serious tone, "I don't want anything to happen to you."

The echidna nodded. "I will, don't worry."

"We won't be too far," Silver said, intertwining his and Blaze's hands together as they began walking off.

Tikal watched after them and laughed quietly when Blaze mouthed her a 'thank you' before the two of them disappeared into the crowd. She finished her drink and kindly asked the bartender to give her a refill of the cocktail just as her phone began ringing from her purse. She was beginning to feel a little tipsy at her second drink and so she didn't bother looking up at the caller ID when she answered.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?" An impatient voice snapped from the other line.

Tikal's eyes widened and took a quick look at who was on the line before she put her phone back against her ear. "Sh-Shadow, I-"

"_No._ Just get to the point."

She gulped. "I'm at a night club... D-Delancy's..."

"What the hell are you doing over there? Didn't I specifically tell you to stay at the diner before coming to pick you up?"

Tikal didn't get to answer as her phone was snatched away from somebody else's hands. She frantically turned around to see a red male wolf cutting the line short.

"Hey pretty lady," he pocketed her phone away with a sly, drunken smile, "Wanna dance?"

She panicked when seeing it light up in his pocket, indicating that it was ringing again. "My phone... C-Can I please have it back?"

The echidna tensed up when he slipped his arm around her waist and forcefully pulled her up to her feet. "After this dance," he whispered into her ear before licking it.

This wasn't good. _This wasn't good._

She'd been in this situation before. And the outcome was _never_ good in the end.

However, she decided to play along. Hoping it would somehow bring the person to give her phone back before she'd get into more trouble than she already was. Even though the guy in front of her was practically _intoxicated_ by the alcohol.

Tikal bit the corner of her lip when he dragged her to the other side of the club. She gasped when he pulled up to his chest and began moving to the rhythm of the music with her. Closing her eyes, she tried her best not to let the lump forming in her throat get the worst of her and hesitantly followed his movements.

"Name's Ethan," he told her and leaned in closer to her face, "What's yours?"

Feeling uncomfortable with their close proximity, she leaned away. "T-Tikal."

"What a beautiful name," Ethan purred, "You have beautiful face, a beautiful body and," she felt him squeeze her backside, _"And a nice ass."_

Oh god._ She was going to cry._

When the music switched up, she pulled away with a polite smile. "C-Can I have my phone back now?"

"What's the rush, babe?" he smirked and pulled her along at the back of the club outside where it was less busy.

Tikal saw that he was taking her to another male standing against a railing and in that moment, she knew she was going to be in serious trouble. Deciding to fight back, the echidna struggled against Ethan's grip. "L-Let go of me!"

"She's fighting back, is she?" the other man, a hedgehog, walked up to them and placed a finger underneath her chin, "Hey kitten, don't worry. We're not gonna do anything to you... yet."

She saw the evident lust in both of their eyes and choked on her tears. "D-Don't... _please!"_

"Think she's the right one, boss?"

The hedgehog's breath trailed past her face, his fingers grazing her arms and legs. "Oh yes, she's definitely the one. Not only is she thick and sexy, but her family's crazy rich."

Ethan's eyes practically lit up. "Really?"

"Definitely," his smirk grew when he whispered into her ear, "How about it, babe? Wanna help us with some cash and... _our needs?"_

She saw through her watered vision that he was going to kiss her, but it didn't come when she heard a voice booming from behind.

"Get your fucking hands off of her."

Tikal flinched when the two males were roughly pushed aside. She winced at her throbbing wrists and looked up to see Shadow's backside obstructing her vision.

"Who the fuck are you?!" She heard the 'boss' shout and saw his footsteps charging towards him.

Shadow only gave him a hard punch in the jaw when he did. Tikal looked down in shock when she saw him passed out on the ground. Her gaze went over to Ethan who looked paler by the second. Shadow gave him a vicious, threatening glare and Ethan wasted no time and bolted past them.

There was a moment of silence before Shadow crouched down onto the ground to pick up her phone. He turned back around to face her and she quickly looked down in shame when seeing the look on his face.

He wasn't happy.

"Let's go," he took a firm grip of her hand and led her back inside so they could leave.

"Tikal!"

They stopped walking when Blaze rushed up to her, worry washing over her face. "I kept calling your phone but you wasn't answering! What..." her voice trailed off when she noticed Shadow, "W-What happened?"

Before she could respond, Shadow answered for her. "Nothing," he said curtly without further explanation and proceeded to walk out. Tikal shot back an apologetic look at Blaze's direction and let Shadow lead her outside where the car was. He opened the door for her and slammed it shut before he went inside the driver's seat.

For a few minutes, they didn't move. He didn't even attempt to start up the engine. Tikal knew better than to say anything and just stayed quiet, her tears drying up as her body was filled with stunned shock.

"Do you have any idea how much danger you put yourself in?" When she didn't respond, he scoffed and continued, "You're my responsibility, Miss Aldaine. If something were to happen to you, then I'm going to get the blame and your uncle and brother will hunt my ass down for it. Don't disobey the orders I give you ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

Tikal still didn't say anything.

_"Miss Aldaine,"_ she heard him say in a slightly softer tone and his hand suddenly rested under her chin, turning her head so their eyes could meet, "Do I make myself clear?"

Her eyes glistened as another rush of tears fell down her cheeks, showcasing her vulnerability once again. She pressed her lips into a thin line and gingerly nodded, suddenly feeling sick and humiliated. "Y-Yes... I'm sorry..."

They stayed like that for another lengthy moment before Shadow pulled away, his jaw muscle clenching at her frantic apology as he started up the car. Tikal sighed quietly and let her head rest against the car seat. The alcohol didn't consume her body as much, but she still felt drowsy and tired and couldn't fight back the urge to sleep when she closed her eyes.

...

She awoke in her bed, the sunlight peeking through her cream curtains. Grimacing by the sight of it, Tikal sat up and pulled the bed sheets off of her. The cold air hit her arms and legs immediately and she stiffened, looking down at the black dress she found herself wearing.

It all suddenly hit like a rubber bullet.

Last night. Last night happened. And it was _horrible._

_Don't think about it just yet, Tikal_.

Sighing heavily from the memory, she went to go check for her phone that was neatly set down on her nightstand next to her purse. However, it was completely dead so she picked up her charger and left it to charge. Suddenly feeling the quick urge to shower, Tikal got out of her bed and hurriedly stripped her dress off and went the bathroom. She brushed her teeth first before running the water from her shower head.

After she rubbed some moisturiser cream over her body, she blow dried her hair and then wrapped a white towel around herself. She padded her way out of the bathroom, looking up at her wall clock to see that it was just turning nine o'clock. Jenny, her maid, called in earlier yesterday saying she wasn't feeling well so Tikal gave her the week off until she was better, kindly giving her sick pay money even though the older woman insisted.

She decided it was best to go make a little something to eat for breakfast since she couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten a decent meal. So opening her room door, Tikal padded her way downstairs and entered the kitchen.

"Oh!" she yelped.

She saw Shadow sitting at the dining table, papers and a laptop sprawled out in front of him. He noticed her and looked up once and then back onto his work.

Tikal stared at him with bewilderment, suddenly feeling insecure about just having a towel around her body as she clutched her hand against the front of it. She continued to stand there awkwardly for a moment before she found her voice to speak. "H-How long have you been sitting there...?"

"For an hour," he answered blandly.

Her eyes widened slightly, giving a side glance down the hallway that lead towards the front door. "H-How did you-"

"I have access into the penthouse," he said, "I'm required to do so in order to protect you throughout the night."

Tikal slowly took in the information and nodded, remembering one more thing. "Did... Did you carry me to bed?"'

"Yes."

She shouldn't have felt so flustered but she did. In a span of less than twenty four hours of knowing each other face to face, he'd already had to fix the pile of mess she'd already made last night. She knew Shadow was a patient man, though she seemed to have tested his patience already and it was definitely something she would like to avoid. The unpleasant look in his expression back in the Delancy club last night made her want to curl up in a ball and disappear. Then him telling her off back at the car was just the icing on top. She felt like a _child._

"O-Oh..." Tikal let her feet move and took tentative steps closer to him, but kept a safe distance between them at the same time, "Thank you."

When Shadow glanced at her, she saw that he seemed to have registered the only garment wrapped around her as his eyes ran down her body before they darkened. He quickly looked away again when he spoke.

"You're welcome."

Tikal hesitated as awkward silence filled the room. It was becoming a reoccurring thing between them, she noticed.

She went back upstairs and got changed, slipping into a yellow sundress before combing her hair and going downstairs into the kitchen again to start making breakfast. After she put some toast in the toaster, she asked Shadow, "D-Did you sleep?"

"Yes."

"In the guest room?"

"No, in the elevator."

Tikal blinked at his response and turned her head to him.

Shadow felt her stare and slowly lifted his gaze up from the document he was reading. _"Yes.._. I slept in the guest room."

Cheeks heating again, she sheepishly focused back onto her food. "A-All right," she continued making her food and got out a mug from the cupboard. Tikal paused and looked over to her shoulder to the hedgehog. "U-Um... would you like to have some coffee or anything to eat?"

"Coffee is fine," Shadow said without his focus off the paper.

Tikal made her breakfast and placed her plate onto the table just before grabbing the two coffee filled mugs. She set her one down and then carefully placed Shadow's in front of him. He silently thanked her and took a sip. Tikal sat opposite from him on the table and took a bite out of her buttered toast. She idly trailed her eyes further across the table to look at the neat pile of papers next to the hedgehog and then took a small peek at the man himself.

The echidna found herself shamelessly ogling at him again. He definitely had some muscle packed in him, and his jawline defined his face flawlessly. She'd never seen anyone with red eyes as bright as his was and his black red-streaked quills was definitely a prominent feature.

He was really beautiful. Really _really_ beautiful.

"Um..." Just as she said that, Shadow darted his eyes towards her making Tikal hesitate again, "Y-You said you stayed awake throughout the night... does that mean you don't sleep much?"

"No, I don't," he confirmed, "I'm a very light sleeper and can go through the day without it if I have to."

She couldn't help but feel surprised at that and examined his eyes. They didn't look bloodshot at all and there was no signs of weariness. "What happens if you slept for long? Would someone else take over for you to watch me?"

Shadow sent her a wry look. "Looks like you've forgotten that you have high tech security in your own house, Miss Aldaine. If someone were to break in, then the security alarm would activate and I would be alerted immediately, regardless if I'm asleep or not. You're lucky that you live in a penthouse and not a mansion, would've been much more of a hassle to deal with since your room would need twenty four hour surveillance while you're asleep."

Tikal bit the corner of her lip and nodded, showing that she understood. "Sorry, I've only just moved in here a few months ago. I-I wasn't aware about the security."

He watched her as he sipped on his coffee. "I see," he glanced around the kitchen, "You have good taste."

She found herself smiling. "You like it?"

Shadow nodded. "The architectural design is impressive. I've been to many penthouses in New York but this one is probably the best by far."

"Thank you," Tikal said graciously, "...I actually designed it myself."

His eyes rose up every so slightly and she could see his amusement. "Is that so?"

"Mhm, Architecture was my major in college. When I wanted to move out of my uncle's mansion, I wasn't particularly fond of the houses that his agents were offering me so I invested in designing one and having it made near Franklin Street."

Shadow was staring at her intently after her short explanation. There was a lengthy moment of silence and Tikal couldn't help but fidget in her seat as she waited for him to say something. When realising that he wasn't going to, she stammered, "W-What? What is it?"

He quickly flickered his gaze back down to the paper he was holding. "No," he said and shook his head, "No, it's nothing. It's just," he sent her a brief glance, "Your documents never said anything about that area of your education. It just stated that you liked reading and writing and took literature as a course as well."

Tikal blinked, dumbfounded. "Really? Literature is true but... it was mostly architecture."

"Mm well, I believe you anyway. The design is definitely something I can see coming out from you."

The echidna shot him a small smile and continued to eat her breakfast. The silence was more comfortable this time, the two of them focusing on what they had in front of them.

After some time, Shadow's cellphone began ringing from beside him. "Hello?" he answered and then looked at Tikal, "Yes, I'm with her... Understood... Of course, I'll bring her over to you, sir." He hung up and stood from his seat, gesturing for her to do the same, "Your uncle wants to see you."

"He does? For what?"

Shadow slipped on his suit coat. "Your brother's back."


	2. Chapter 2

Tikal rushed into her uncle's office, Shadow following closely behind her. Two red echidnas were sat opposite each other across the desk, one older one and one younger one.

"Knuckles!" she called out to her brother happily and she ran over to him.

Knuckles turned around and quickly got up from his seat, holding out his arms as she virtually sprung into them. "Hey!" he smiled and held her tighter, "God, I missed you so much..."

Tikal smiled brightly, wiping her tears when they pulled away. "W-What happened...? I-I thought you needed to be there for another year?"

"I was but because I was advancing really quickly, they wanted me to stay for another two years to become Commander which I obviously couldn't do since I'd lose my executive position at NASDAQ by then," her brother explained, "I wouldn't have been able to visit you and Uncle Rich or anyone either so I ultimately turned down the proposal so I could come back."

She was about to respond but her uncle's voice sounded from behind. "Which was a darn good decision, Knuckles. I don't think I'd want my favourite nephew to get sniped so easily because of a broken arm."

Knuckles turned around and rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Uncle Rich! It was just a _little_ sprain!"

Richard Aldaine only laughed and turned his attention to Tikal. "It's been a while darling, hasn't it? Come here," Tikal smiled and went to hug her uncle as he kissed her forehead, "How's everything with the diner? Business is good, I presume?"

"There's never a day where it isn't," she told him proudly, "Your idea about the fillet steak kebab was perfect. Everyone seems to be going for that right now!"

Richard smiled. "Is that so? Then I oughta go try it soon!"

Tikal nodded. "Mm, you should!"

"By the way, Knuckles," Richard began as he looked towards his nephew, "NASDAQ's been struggling to secure Nextron for a while, they haven't carried out a deal yet and it's been two months already. I'd advise you to do something when you get back into office before they decide to switch to the NYSE."

Knuckles ran a hand down his face and sighed. "Shit, I phoned Sonic last night on the plane to see how it was going and he said the same thing. Apparently, Luke was handling them in my place and he ran into some complications during a conference while presenting to some of the Nextron execs after everything was just going good. Now they've started giving him the run around about committing," he snorted at this, "Serves him right though, thinking that those bastards from Nextron can be won by that stupid worn-out smirk and fucking wink of his."

"Doesn't seem so easy as it was for Gershom, was it?"

Her brother laughed. "Oh yeah, Gershom was an easy snatch for us because of me. Once I head back tomorrow, I'll make sure Vector gives me Nextron so I can take it from there."

Richard nodded. "Glad to hear it, son."

"Oh right!" Knuckles snapped his head over to Tikal and worriedly held her onto her shoulders, "Scott told me what happened! Are you okay? Did they touch you?! Did they hurt you?!" He gritted his teeth, "I swear to god, if I ever find them, I'll-"

"Kn-Knuckles!" Tikal managed to interject. She sighed softly, "The police made it on time and my neighbours managed to hold them down. Don't worry."

"Don't worry? You can't tell me something like that, Tikal! This is serious and it could happen again!"

Which it did..._ last night_, Tikal thought and shot a quick glance at Shadow who remained passive through his sunglasses and stance, B_ut Knuckles doesn't need to know that._

"Actually Knuckles," Richard decided to cut in calmly and gestured him over to Shadow, "You don't have to worry now. I hired a bodyguard for Tikal."

Knuckles looked over Tikal's shoulder to see the black hedgehog. "Oh... yeah. Scott did say something like that," he extended his hand out, "Shadow Cordae, right? It's nice to meet you."

Shadow came forward and shook it respectfully with a nod. "Pleasure is mine, Mr. Aldaine."

Knuckles sent a wry look towards Richard. "You should've done that sooner, Uncle Rich. Would've saved me the hassle not to worry about her all this time!"

"Believe me, I know but I wanted to find the right one. Shadow was the best candidate out of all of them."

"Yeah, he sure does look like it too," her brother focused back onto the hedgehog, "Really happy to have your service, Shadow! Please keep my sister out of trouble."

No one else noticed it, but Tikal did. She saw the muscle against his jaw tightening for a very split second before it disappeared. Even though she couldn't see his eyes, she could feel that he was looking at her right after Knuckles said that and she only had herself to blame.

"Rest assured, sir. I will keep her safe."

Knuckles smiled and gave him a light pat at the side of the hedgehog's arm. "Glad to hear it! Well anyway, I need to head home. I gotta start telling my assistant to have everything ready for the office tomorrow," he left a kiss onto Tikal's forehead, "I'll give you a visit on Friday, okay?" Tikal smiled and nodded and he grabbed his brief case before making his way out of their uncle's office, "I'll see you later, old man! I'll keep you updated on Nextron when I can!"

"Good luck, Knuckles!" Tikal and Richard both said at the same time.

When the door shut, Richard scooted his chair closer to his desk. "Shadow, how was your first day with Tikal? Not too many problems, I hope?"

"...No problems at all," Shadow answered smoothly, "I've instructed Miss Aldaine to stay close to me at all times when we are out in public and she has done so precisely."

"Excellent," Richard said gratefully, "Your protection is essential for my niece here, Shadow. Do not forget that."

"Of course, sir."

"Good," her uncle then looked at her, "How about you, Tikal? Has Shadow been okay so far to you?"

Tikal snapped out of her apparent daze on the floor. "Oh? Y-Yes! He's been really good to me so far..."

Richard grinned. "I'm happy to hear that, dear. Just remember he's here to protect you, so please follow his orders when he needs you to, okay?"

"Y-Yes of course, Uncle Richard."

"Fantastic!" he said before checking his wrist watch, "I've got a meeting to do I'm about ten minutes so I'll need to prepare for it now."

She nodded. "All right," she leaned down and shared one last hug with him, "I'll see you later, Uncle Richard."

"Catch you later dear!"

Shadow escorted her out of the room and they began walking towards the elevator. When they got it, Tikal decided to break the small tension between them that lingered in her uncle's office and on their way out. "You didn't tell him... why is that?"

He remained silent as the elevator descended, his usual stoic expression covering his face. Tikal wasn't sure if he was just ignoring her or decided it was best not to answer. So shrugging it off, she waited until the elevator doors parted as they exited the company building and walked towards the car. When the both of them were in, Tikal put her seatbelt on and waited for him to start up the car.

"Like I said," she heard Shadow start to say, making her head turn to him. His hands were gripping onto the street wheel, "If Mr. Aldaine or anyone else found out about last night, I'd get into trouble along with you," he then looked at her, "...I've had many troublesome clients before and you're one of them."

Tikal meekly averted her eyes away as he started up the car. When they got onto the main road, she heard him say quietly,

"You're not bad."

She blinked once and then twice before looking back at him. "What?"

"You're not bad," he repeated but his attention remained on the road, "And I don't think many people see you that way."

Heat betrayed her cheeks. "R-Really?"

"Really," Shadow said before glancing at her direction, "...The pay is good too."

She laughed lightly as she faced her window so he couldn't see her burning face. "Thank you..."

Little did she know that a slight smirk quirked Shadow's lips. "Not a problem."

...

Tikal unlocked the door to the diner with her keys. Just as she and Shadow stepped inside, Blaze hurriedly followed after them.

"Oh my god, Tikal!" the cat dropped her things and barricaded the echidna with a tight hug, "You weren't answering my calls or texts, I was getting worried!"

"I-I'm sorry," Tikal responded with her arms around her friend just as tightly before they pulled away, "My phone died after I woke up... I just haven't turned it on..." she trailed off when her phone rebooted in her hand and shot her a sheepish smile, "U-Until now."

Her friend sighed. "It's okay, Tikal. I'm just really glad to know you're safe! Next time, I won't pressure you into going again. I'll be more considerate."

She gave her a small smile. "It's all right."

Blaze smiled back in relief before noticing that Tikal wasn't alone. "Oh, you're Shadow. It's nice to meet you again!"

Shadow only nodded in acknowledgment.

"Right..." she said awkwardly and whispered to Tikal, "Not really much of a talker, is he?"

"Mm... I-I guess you could say that."

"...He's really hot."

Tikal blushed. _"B-Blaze!"_

She laughed out aloud and walked off into the back to get ready. "Don't worry, he's all yours!"

As Tikal hung back in humiliated silence, she turned to Shadow who stood a few feet away from her near the entrance. He didn't seem to be paying attention to what was said as he was focusing on listening and speaking through his earpiece. When she could tell he was finished, she spoke, "Are you staying here until we close?"

He tilted his sunglasses down and shot her an obvious look. "After yesterday, I have no choice but to."

Tikal let out a nervous laugh as she scratched the back of her head. "R-Right..."

The rest of the day went smoothly. Shadow did get some curious glances here and there because of his presence but everyone got used to it quickly as the diner steadily got busy. She did notice a few women gawking at him with interest when they first entered... for some reason it finally _did_ sink in that it was probably a normal occurrence for the bodyguard. He was attractive, well-built and had this vibe in him that most women were going for nowadays.

Was she one of those women? _...You could say so._ She had already admitted that Shadow was undeniably all those things from the first moment she saw him. Though, she knew she had to restrain herself from those feelings. One, she'd only known him since yesterday. Two, seeking a relationship with your bodyguard was off limits and was deemed unprofessional and she was pretty sure her uncle would not be happy of the outcome. She'd think it wouldn't look good on Shadow's profile either.

_Oh God_... what was she_ thinking?_ There were so many things she had to do and she was focusing on this? _Get it together, Tikal!_

Blaze poked her head into her office an hour later. "Hey, do you mind if I get off early just for today?"

Tikal shook her head. "Not at all. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah! Everything's fine. I'm..." Blaze cleared her throat and replied, "I'm going on a date."

She smiled knowingly. "Everything went good with Silver, I presume?"

Blaze blushed. "More than good..."

"I'm happy to hear that," Tikal giggled out, "I really hope the best for you two!"

"Thanks Tikal," Blaze glanced around behind her before looking back at the echidna, "He doesn't keep his eyes off you, you know?"

She blinked at her friend. "What?"

"Shadow," the cat smiled, "It's hard to see with those bloody shades he has on, but I could tell. Whenever you come to view, he has some sort of dead set look on you."

Tikal shifted in her seat, trying to not let the butterflies in her stomach get the best of her. "Th-That's his job, isn't it...?"

Blaze nodded. "It is but..." she trailed off and tilted her head side to side, "I don't know... it just feels_ different."_

When Blaze left, Tikal let the cat's words linger in the room for some time. Even though she loved her friend and trusted her with all her heart, she refused to believe such words. There was no way. _No way._ She had to keep believing that there was no way that someone like Shadow would harbour such things for a person like her. Shaking her head at those thoughts, she drowned herself in her work for the next hour before it was time to close up.

When Shadow drove her back home, they settled down inside the kitchen as Tikal unwrapped some of the food she decided to take from the diner that didn't end up getting served.

"Shadow," she called out to him just as she got some cutlery out, "Do you want chicken or steak for dinner?"

"It's fine. I'm not hungry."

Tikal sighed at length when she sat two plates down onto the table. "You said that at lunch and only wanted water. I refuse to believe you're not hungry."

He said nothing at that and she beamed when he didn't resist the food being plated in front of him. Tikal settled down quickly on her chicken and broccoli, having not eaten since breakfast. She glanced at Shadow and saw he was slowly eating his steak making her smile as they continued to eat in silence.

"By the way, a friend texted me that she's going to be throwing a party next week Saturday," she suddenly said making Shadow quickly shoot his eyes towards her. He always did that and it got more daunting the more he did it. Tikal hesitated which made her stammer out her question, "Is... Is it okay if I could go?"

Shadow watched her before asking, "May I ask whose party is it?"

"She was my literature classmate in college," she answered before he gestured for her to elaborate, "Her name's Rouge."

She thought she was seeing things but she wasn't. Shadow stiffened ever so slightly when she said that name, his frown curling in small distaste. "W-What? What is it?"

"Rouge... As in Rouge Connors?"

Tikal blinked in surprise. "Yes, her. Do you know her?"

His frowned deepened as his eyes averted down to his plate. "Yes."

"Oh. Did you get invited as well?"

"...Yes."

She stared at him longingly, her stomach clenching in realisation at his reluctance, "Is... Is she a-"

"We've just had a history, that's all," Shadow swiftly cut in, his use of tone indicating that he didn't want to go further down the subject, "It's fine. You can go."

Tikal anxiously bit the corner of her lip, the sudden urge of wanting to pry more about it coming over her but she withheld against it and just nodded. "Then that means you're coming as well?"

"...I'll endure it."

The subject ended immediately. When they were done eating, Shadow engrossed himself with work as Tikal washed the dishes. Whilst she was doing them, she was thinking about the way Shadow acted when Rouge was brought up. He basically just confirmed that she was an..._ acquaintance_ of his. But how? A ex-girlfriend? An ex-affair? Tikal didn't particularly stick her nose into things when it wasn't her business... but she was curious.

But... why was she caring anyway? It was in the past and stayed there. It hadn't even been a week and she was already thinking about her bodyguard's personal life. This was not how she was raised.

Rinsing off her hands, Tikal turned back to Shadow. "I'm gonna go shower then head off to bed."

He nodded and looked up from his laptop. "Goodnight."

"...G-Goodnight," she said back, feeling reluctant to leave but did anyway as she went up the stairs to her bathroom. She showered off quickly and dressed for bed. However, her eyes refused to close when she idly stared up at the ceiling.

Two days. _Two long days._

And she was already head over heels for her own bodyguard.

...

They walked into a candle shop in the mall and Tikal already engrossed herself with the ones she'd usually go for.

It was her day off that Friday and she couldn't remember when she ever had one this year. Blaze offered to run the diner in her place but Tikal kept insisting it was all right and that she was fine to work. However, the cat profusely refused and even had her other employees in on it as well. Tikal gave in eventually, finding it impossible to argue against all of them and let them do as they pleased with a laugh and wholesome smile.

Even though it hadn't been that long, she got used to Shadow's presence quickly. She kept in mind about Monday's incident and she privately kept in mind of her interest in him. While she did get curious looks and glances her way and most definitely Shadow's way, Tikal found herself much more safer and confident in shopping around in public knowing he was there with her. Shadow was a very intimidating figure and she didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She did know that she wouldn't be getting those stares anymore from those middle-aged men she'd walk past her workplace when going home. Shadow would only just glance at them and they would freeze on the spot before scurrying away. It was almost laughable. _Almost._

"Lavender is a nice scent," she heard him say closely, "It would probably help you sleep at night."

Tikal grabbed a few candles off from the shelf, including the lavender one. "Mhm. I hear it does. Do you want any?"

Shadow casted a glance at the range of candles. "No, it's fine."

As she carried them in her arms, she looked around and realised that she didn't have a basket. Fortunately enough, Shadow pulled out a basket from behind him and gestured her to put the candles in. Tikal sheepishly smiled at him and did so. "Thanks."

They wondered around the mall some more before deciding to head into a coffee house. Shadow set her bags down for her at the side of the table as Tikal ordered their drinks.

"It's been a while since I came here," Tikal said when looking around with a light smile.

"Why is that?" Shadow asked.

She looked back at him as she suddenly grew nervous. "...Some of the staff weren't so nice. The girls were some of my former friends from high school and they'd usually harass me whenever they saw me come through."

"Former friends?"

"Th-They used me because I had money," Tikal explained reluctantly, "So when I realised that they were, I stopped hanging out with them so I wouldn't keep paying for them whenever they wanted something."

"Didn't you ever defend yourself when you came here then?" Shadow then asked her whilst putting his cup down, "Surely you must've."

She shook her head. "If I did, they probably would've gotten physical and I don't like fighting."

"I see," he looked at her closely, "Then you're a very easy target."

"I guess..." Tikal shrugged a shoulder, "Fighting would make the situation worse and I just generally can't stand seeing it."

"Looks like Scott wasn't kidding about your pacifist beliefs," Shadow said, leaning back against his seat, "You really seem naive about everything."

"...What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't you get it?" Shadow went on, "Defending yourself should mean everything to you. If you don't, then people will continue doing whatever they want to do with you. If you show them you've had enough, then maybe they'll back off and won't do it again. It's common practice."

Tikal didn't say anything to that and just averted her eyes down at her cup. Maybe he was right, but doing such a thing would lead to terrible consequences from her experience and that was the reason why she didn't want to do anything. Perhaps for Shadow it was a different story. He was a man. A very _demeaning_ one. And that alone could scare off anyone. Tikal didn't have any of that and so defending herself would just seem like an utter joke to anyone else.

"Don't overthink about it," he said when sensing her discomfort on the topic, "It's why I'm here after all... to supervise you."

She laughed nervously. "You said you didn't find me a chore to look after. I-I can't say I believe you completely."

"Even if I did, what difference would it make? I'd still be required to babysit you, Miss Aldaine."

"Tikal."

"What?"

"You should just call me, Tikal," Tikal stated with sudden bashfulness, "Calling me 'Miss Aldaine' makes me seem as if I'm old! And I don't think you're that much older than me... Are you?"

Shadow crossed his arms. "I'm twenty-five."

She smiled. "Only three years."

"And that poses the question of what?"

The echidna stiffened, her cheeks flaring as she immediately said, "N-Nothing!"

He watched her carefully. "Nothing... all right," Shadow sat up, "I will only call you Tikal if it's just the two of us. Other than that, when we're around your family, it's strictly business."

Tikal nodded. "I'm fine with that."

Shadow mirrored her nod. "Okay."

When they settled into a comfortable silence, with the exception of the noises in the coffee house, Tikal secretly swept a few glances Shadow's way when he wasn't paying attention. Unknowingly, she found herself in an unknowing daze when looking at him that she heard him say:

"Does my face amuse you somehow?"

Tikal rapidly blinked before shaking her head, her vision becoming clearer when her eyes settled on Shadow's blatant gaze. "N-No! It's just..." She pursed her lips, rethinking her choice of words, "I-I was just wondering..."

"...Yes?"

She sighed. "I was wondering what you did before this," the echidna explained, "Y-You know... what you studied in school and what other jobs you had?"

Shadow arched an eye. "You want to know all of that?"

"Shouldn't I know?" Tikal pondered and then laughed shortly, "If I have a man keeping an eye on me 24/7, then I think I would like to know more about him."

"Your interest is remarkable," he stated with a low chuckle before gesturing her to continue, "Well then, what would you like to know?"

She thought for a second before shooting the first question. "Is it true that you worked for the G.U.N?"

"Primarily, yes," Shadow answered with a nod, "I worked there for two years before moving into the military."

"Oh... wow," she blinked in somewhat awe, "Did... did you leave school early for that?"

"I was doing my college studies early but I was doing them while I was working for the G.U.N. It was an intensive course."

"What did you study?"

His lips twitched a little. "Medicine."

Tikal didn't hide her surprise. "Really?"

Shadow nodded. "Yes. I managed to get my major done within the same time frame. Gave me less of a hassle to worry about it. I trained and went into the military within the two years as I was working for them."

"It's must've been hard. I can't imagine you getting any sleep."

"All in a day's work. I got used to it."

"So do you want to be a doctor or something?"

"It's half and half. Not anytime soon. I just needed some sort of medical qualification to enter into the military. I didn't completely finish my degree."

She shifted in her seat, pressing her lips before going onto the next question, "Are all bodyguards required to have some sort of military background?"

"Yes. You need to have a good sense of hearing, strength and durability. As well as have immediate thinking when the client is in potential danger. All of which you gain knowledge on when training."

"Was the training harsh?"

"Nothing is ever easy, Tikal."

Tikal smiled meekly, softening out her dreads, "I-I guess not..." She wrapped her hands around her cup, "If you don't mind me asking... who did you have before me?"

"Some model for a few months," Shadow answered with a sardonic tone, "She was tolerable at first but then became a touchy hazard. She'd get intoxicated almost every night and I'd have to deal with driving her ass back home and to make sure she woke up early for her photo shoots."

"So what happened?"

"The obvious. I wasn't able to handle her irritable behaviour and just resigned as her bodyguard. She was disappointed of course," he rolled his eyes as he muttered, "Probably because she was that desperate to get into my pants. God knows how the next bodyguard is handling her right now."

Tikal shot him a look of remorse. "I'm surprised you even had the patience."

"I question that to myself everyday," he remarked, "After that, I made sure to look carefully at clients' profiles before deciding to work with them. I didn't want a repeat."

"Then what made you choose me?"

Shadow flickered his eyes over to her own. "Nothing in particular. My clients were usually models or some celebrity. I wanted to go for something new and less troublesome."

"An old businessman's niece," Tikal said as her eyes furrowed, "I'm still sorry about that night. It must've given off a bad first impression."

"I wouldn't blame you entirely," he said, "Your friend had something to do with it as well. Though, it was your fault for even giving in."

The echidna scratched the side of her temple with her finger. "I-It won't happen again. I promise."

"I'm sure it won't."

Taking another sip of her coffee, Tikal decided to change the subject, "I bought a dress for the party next week."

He raised an eye. "Is it similar to the one that you wore last time?"

"Yes... sort of. Why?"

She saw Shadow's eyes darken at that very moment, but she didn't get to question it when his gaze wondered off back to his cup. He hastily put his sunglasses back on as he wavered the topic off, "No, no reason."

There was silence between them again and it was that uncomfortable silence she disliked. She stared at him with bewilderment, carefully watching his frown growing as if he was frustrated or in distaste.

_About the dress...?_

"Come on, it's getting late," Shadow said and stood up from his seat as he took hold of her bags.

Tikal nodded, not saying anything and just followed closely after him.

...

Tikal lifted the spoon from the pot that sat on the stove, tasting a bit of the sauce from the chicken curry she was making for dinner. A few seconds later, she found herself coughing when realising she added _too much_ spice.

"What's the matter?" Shadow asked from the table behind her.

"F-Forget about the curry," she said after taking a big gulp of water, "It's harder to make than it looks..."

"I thought you knew how to cook?"

"I do!" Tikal insisted and then averted her eyes towards her failed dish, "It's just... making a curry was never really my strong point."

"At least you know how to work the rice cooker," Shadow said as he stood up to see her efforts, "Would've been disastrous if you burned the rice as well."

"What?" Tikal blinked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Some of the curry paste is sticking out at the side," he circled his finger around the pot, "Meaning that your burnt most of the sauce."

She peered into the spot and saw the horrendous destruction. "I-I didn't even notice that!"

"Not even the chicken?" he raised an eye, "It's overcooked."

The echidna sighed, blushing in embarrassment as she rubbed her temples out of exhaustion. "All right, I'll just prepare some steak and potatoes then."

"No, it's fine," Shadow said and rolled up his sleeves before he picked up the pot and spoon, "Just put these in the sink. I'll handle it."

"Huh?" Tikal held the things in her hands as she watched him arrange the spices and chicken on the counter top, "...Y-You know how to make a curry?"

"It's fairly easy," he replied smoothly and turned the stove back on, "I've had my share of some culinary classes back in training. Though this time, I'm able to use fresh ingredients and _not_ powdered ones from a silver packet."

She watched Shadow work as he added in the chicken and spices into the new pot. He explained how to simmer the dish correctly as well as how much spice to add for it to be bearable to eat. Tikal was impressed, seeing how calm he was about everything.

Shadow got out another spoon and stirred the mixture before lifting it against her lips. "Try it?"

Tikal tucked a strand of her dreads over her ear as she leaned down to taste the sauce. "O-Oh wow!" she beamed up at him, "It's really good!"

"Glad to see you're not burning up either," he chuckled out as he tasted it himself, "It's not so bad..."

Ignoring her sudden quickened heart pace at the fact they sipped from the same spoon, she shot him a smile before laughing, "You should be my chef instead of my bodyguard!"

Shadow playfully rolled his eyes and gestured her to set up the plates. "Don't get used to this. Honestly, I'm surprised it even turned out well."

"Mm, even so!" Tikal nodded swayed her head from side to side as she prepared the table, "You could teach me a few recipes."

He plated the curry dish along with the rice. "As long as it doesn't include scallops or any other fish, then it's fine. I seriously don't know how people cook those things without burning them."

"How about baking?"

"Moderate."

"Don't like the flour on your face?"

"No," Shadow shook his head as he sat down, "I'm not really a sweets person."

"So you're a sour person?" Tikal lightly teased, "Can't say I'm surprised."

"Oh,_ ha-ha_," the hedgehog let out in a sardonic tone, "Sorry that I don't have a sweet tooth like yours. Scoffing down those cupcakes really must've boosted your ego."

She blushed. "Th-They were really good!"

"And unhealthy. From now on have at least one a day, will you? I know stress eating is common nowadays, but so are diabetes."

Tikal just chewed on her rice, stifling a giggle. "Yes... _Mother."_

Shadow rolled his eyes again as they continued on with their dinner. "What made you want curry anyway? Don't mind me asking but, you tend to like cooking things from your diner menu."

She patted the napkin against her lips before answering. "My mother used to make it when I was younger and Knuckles wanted it most of the day for dinner," the echidna smiled solemnly, "My father hated it though, so she stopped making it and just made whatever he wanted at the dinner table."

"...Controlling, was he?"

"Oh yes, very..." Tikal sighed and stared down at her food, "He always wanted the same old thing. Steak, broccoli and potatoes. They're nice but... it was only that we could eat for lunch and dinner. That's why I tried making my mother's curry and failed at it. She couldn't really teach me when he was around the house."

Shadow went silent for a moment, chewing on his food and then prodded, "How was he around you?"

Tikal steadily swallowed part of her curry. "H-He liked to drink a lot. When my mother died, he would always berate me when Knuckles was out the house and would blame me for not being a good enough daughter."

"What do you mean?"

"You know, I wasn't following Knuckles's footsteps when it came to majoring finance in college for stock exchange. I-I wanted to become an full-time architect but he thought it was stupid and just threw me into my mother's diner."

Shadow nodded. "How did he die?"

"Alcohol intoxication," she said dully, "He died when Knuckles and I were still really young so our Uncle took us in."

"I see," he muttered, "You didn't bother fulfilling your dream then?"

Tikal rubbed her arms together. "It's... complicated. The diner reminds me of my mother, so leaving it would be like leaving her."

"No one's saying you're to leave it. Just hand the business to someone who you trust and just visit there frequently. I'm sure your mother would want you to become what you want to be."

She stared at him, pondering over his statement. Shadow remained passive and looked back at her, his lips thinning into his usual frown. Giving him a small smile, Tikal said, "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you..."

They continued to eat quietly. Again though, Tikal couldn't help herself when she kept casting a few looks at the hedgehog's direction.

He caught on immediately, probably already used to her habits. "I swear I'm not some Ancient Greek God, Tikal."

She smiled again, meekly nodding when she nervously asked, "H-How... What was your family like, Shadow?"

She knew the question was personal but she genuinely really wanted to know. It would be fair since she shared her story. By knowing Shadow for a little while, she was interested to know why he acted this way, why his demeanour would change. He was a gorgeous man, but Tikal couldn't help but to mystify him in all sorts.

A longing look past his eyes, a flicker of recognition at the question had his lips thinned into a slight frown. "I was foster-cared so I didn't know my biological parents."

Her heart felt heavy, the regret of asking immediately displaying on her face. "Oh..."

"Hm."

She couldn't stop herself though. "Were your foster parents good to you then?"

"Yeah, they were. I think of them as my actual parents, to be honest. They taught me everything I needed to know and got me into good education. You know, like any other parents would do."

"Then why do you act like that?"

He raised an eye. "Excuse me?"

That wasn't supposed to come out. It was a question that sounded better in her head, in her private mind where people couldn't hear her thoughts but herself.

Feeling her mouth getting drier by the second, Tikal fumbled her way for a response. "I-I mean...!" she stopped abruptly and moved her gaze around in panic, "I-It's just that..."

"..."

Almost quivering underneath his stare, she let out the first thing she could think of, "Were you always... alone, Shadow?"

The hedgehog just watched her, not even twitching at the question. He still retained his bland stare, a look of dissonance displaying his features. Tikal looked back at him, biting her lip as she waited, afraid she pushed too far.

However, Shadow remained calm as he took a sip of his glass of water. "They were very busy people," he answered, "Both accountants. I wouldn't see them until late at night and I'd only ever get to hang out with them on their days off. I had a nanny to keep me company though."

Tikal nodded, prodding another question at him before she could stop herself. "W-What about friends? Did you ever get to make any?"

"Yes," Shadow responded. Though, Tikal sensed the small restraint in his voice when he did so, "I didn't have a big group though. I liked keeping it small."

_Shut up, Tikal. Just shut up._ "What about relationships?"

A muscle worked its way up his jaw, she saw._ A squint_ seemed to have threaten his eye lids, but his restraint on it was strong and held him back from doing so. She inwardly wilted.

"A few. None were really committed," he said but his eyes steadied against hers as though he wanted to make sure to see her reaction, "Except one."

Rouge.

_It had to be Rouge._

_"We've had a history, that's all."_

The history was obvious enough as it was._ They dated._ And seeing how Shadow spaced one out from the women he was never committed to, he was obviously committed to Rouge. She hadn't forgotten how he reacted when she mentioned her. There was _something_ between them.

Forcing a smile on her lips, Tikal nodded once again, almost robotically whilst they cleared their plates.

They turned their conversation into some small talk when they cleaned their dishes. Shadow insisted doing them whilst she'd get ready for bed, but she wouldn't have it and they had a light bicker about it to both their amusement. The dishes were done by then and Tikal had set off upstairs to brush her teeth and take a shower. When she put her nightgown on, she decided to go downstairs and put the TV on. When a movie that she liked was playing, Tikal eyed over to Shadow who was sitting on the other couch, reading over some papers.

Deciding it was best not to disturb him, and best not getting caught again by _eyeballing him_, Tikal silently watched the movie. It managed to dissolve her thoughts away completely until she passed out on the couch.

She stirred when she felt arms underneath. The echidna looked up and sent Shadow a drowsy smile. "You're carrying me to bed."

"Looks that way," he nodded as he nudged her bedroom door with his foot.

"Has anybody ever told you that you have beautiful eyes?" Tikal murmured, the sleep getting to her again quickly.

A small smile etched up the hedgehog's lips. "No," he whispered and lowered her down onto the pillows, drawing the comforter over her legs.

She hugged the pillow and closed her eyes completely._ "You really do..."_

Shadow sat down on the edge of the bed as he watched her fall into a blissful slumber. He carefully reached over and moved some of her dreads from her face, looming over her figure for a lingering moment. Sighing through his nostrils, he shook his head and quietly made his way out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days were very busy for Tikal. Business was a little more packed than usual as there was a small dinner party for a family that they hosted. They had many booked reservations for the elderly as they carried out a discounted deal for them for the week. She almost slept on the job but charged through. Knuckles kept his promised and came by her penthouse on that Friday night. He and Shadow had some little bonding time as well as watching a soccer game together. _Thankfully,_ they supported the same team so there wasn't any arguments between them.

The next Saturday evening came by really quickly and Tikal was getting ready in her room for Rouge's party, trying to ignore the feeling of Shadow and Rouge potentially seeing each other again. She looked at herself in the mirror, going over her dress. It was just a simple dark green strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline that reached above her knees. She slipped into her black stilettos before putting her purse bag over her. Giving one final glance at herself, Tikal carefully made her way down the staircase and saw Shadow waiting patiently near the door.

Instead of wearing his usual suit attire, he opted out in a black collared dress shirt with matching pants and shoes. It wasn't much but it did make him look slightly less intimidating and_ much more handsome._

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Mhm," Tikal said distractedly whilst straightening her dress. Just as she looked up, she caught him eyeing down at it and his eyes lingered there for a second before he quickly snapped them away. She found herself blushing, the feeling in her stomach making its return.

"All right," Shadow muttered, putting on his sunglasses and they exited the penthouse shortly after.

They arrived at Rouge's club that was situated down in Manhattan. It was crowded as expected, with people going in and out as they pleased. After Shadow helped her get off the car, Tikal made sure to text Blaze that she arrived. They went inside the club before situating themselves on the bar stools.

"Rouge really went all out," Tikal commented as she looked around. The place was filled with disco balls and colourful neon lights.

Shadow scoffed beside her and absently turned away to lean against the table, taking off his sunglasses. "A little too much if you ask me."

Tikal smiled. "Too bright for you?"

_"Very."_

"I don't think it's all that bad. The music... is a bit obnoxious though."

"Then it fits her well."

She turned to him with a giggle. "I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself."

He sent her a wry look just as the bartender slipped two small cocktails in their direction. "Trust me, I'm far from it."

"Shadow," the echidna sighed, "You don't have to be here if you don't want to. You could've just stayed in the car."

"Don't be ridiculous," he said shaking his head, "I'm here because of you and for you, not for this stupid party."

_For her._

Even though he didn't mean it in a way that she would like to interpret it, his words still had her heart beat quicken. Alas, she was still feeling on edge about the bodyguard's 'mysterious' past with the hostess of the party but she tried to not think about it as much.

_Tried._

Who was she kidding? Ever since the subject was brought up, she was thinking about it everyday. _Overthinking to be exact._ It was none of her business yet she felt compelled to know the details. She didn't know anything about Shadow's back story other than the information Blaze told her. She didn't know the personal details.

But it was _none_ of her business, she needed to remind herself.

Jealousy was a rare emotion for a Tikal. She just never usually felt it. She always thought it would bring the worst out of someone and the outcome at the end would turn ugly. Her pacifist nature prevented such emotions.

So just as she turned around to face the party again, she saw Rouge walking up to her, drink in hand and her sultry signature smile.

Was she jealous though? _A tiny bit._

"Hi Rouge," Tikal greeted the bat kindly with a light smile, her selfish thoughts coming to a halt.

"Hey Tikal, it's good to see you again," Rouge leaned in to give her a hug, "How are things with you?"

"The same," she answered and then laughed, "By the way, I'm only going to serve_ you_ the chicken skewers with pineapple and grape if you ever come by to the diner again. It didn't really sit well with everyone else."

"It didn't?!" Rouge let out an incredulous scoff as she rolled her eyes, "Those people have no taste at all!" She took a sip of her drink before asking, "So how's Knuckles? I heard he came back."

"He's doing fine! He went straight back to NASDAQ right after."

"Ugh, he's such a workaholic isn't he? I invited him and he seen-zoned all of my messages! Didn't even bother answering my calls either."

Tikal shrugged, giving her an apologetic look. "Sorry, he's just so busy nowadays is all..."

"And understandably so," Rouge sighed, "But would it_ kill_ him to get out and have fun once in a while? But I heard he finally got that executive position he's been wanting."

"He has," she confirmed with a nod, "I'll talk to him though, if you want. I do believe he needs to stop staying cooped in his office too."

"Thanks, sugar bun," the bat smiled before her gaze flickered to the person next to the echidna, her eyes widening with amusement, "Well, this is a surprise. I didn't think you'd bother to show up, Shadow."

_Here we go._

From the corner of her eye, Tikal just saw the hedgehog take a sip of his cocktail before he turned his head to the side. "I wasn't going to."

Rouge cocked an eye. "Oh? Then why are you here?"

Shadow reluctantly turned around and nodded to Tikal. "I'm just accompanying Miss..." he stopped short and then quickly corrected himself, "Tikal. I'm just accompanying Tikal."

"You are?" she questioned before looking between them, "Are you two together?"

"N-No!" Tikal denied immediately, cheeks heating at the assumption. She shot a nervous glance at Shadow, who was watching her closely, "W-We're..." Tikal swallowed when she focused back onto Rouge, "We're friends."

"Friends," Rouge repeated whilst she eyed at the both of them, the hint of suspicion reaching her tone. She then laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, it's just the two of you look like a couple."

Tikal said nothing. Neither did Shadow.

"But anyway!" the bat brushed off the subject quickly and paid attention to Shadow, "We have a lot of catching up to do, mister."

Shadow frowned. "I don't think we do."

"Oh, we do," Rouge put her drink down and suddenly linked her arm around his when a slower song came on, "Dance with me. I wanna talk."

Tikal was surprised by Rouge's forwardness and glanced at Shadow, who looked reluctant to leave his chair. _Don't talk, Tikal. Don't talk-_ "Shadow."

Shadow flickered his attention to her.

"Go," she whispered kindly with a slightly restrained smile, "I'll be fine."

He was in the middle of saying something, but it was cut short when he was dragged out of his seat and onto the dance floor by Rouge. Tikal watched them as they positioned themselves, Shadow's hand around her waist while Rouge placed her own onto his shoulders. When Shadow glanced up and made eye contact with her, Tikal quickly blinked away and went back to her drink, staring at it grimly.

_Why did she say that?_

"Tikal!"

Tikal practically yelped when another person occupied Shadow's seat. Because of the lighting being quite dark, she had to squint in order to make out who it was. When she did, she was surprised. "A-Amy?" she gaped at her.

Amy Rose smiled and reached out for a hug. "Hi! It's been so long!"

"H-Hey," she hugged her back, "I didn't think you'd be here either."

"Neither did I!" the pink hedgehog giggled, "But I thought I'd see you and Blaze here since we haven't been in contact for a while."

Tikal apologised profusely. "I'm so sorry, Amy. I-I've just been really busy with work and the diner."

"Aw it's okay, Tikal. Don't apologise!" Amy exclaimed, "We're all adults now with bright futures and responsibilities. But please do text me so we can hang out sometime, okay?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Okay," the echidna responded before noticing something on Amy's finger, "Is... _Is that a ring?"_

"Oh!" Amy followed her gaze and looked at the ring also, blushing lightly. "Why yes... Y-Yes it is!"

Tikal grinned in glee. "Did a certain someone finally propose to you?"

Her pink laughed laughed nervously, her blush matching her hair as she rubbed her arms. "You could say that..."

"Oh Amy, I'm so happy for you!" Tikal said whilst giving her another hug, "I knew you and Sonic were gonna last."

"Thank you," Amy said, suddenly turning shy, "We won't rush into it but he did already promise me we'd have our wedding in Paris."

"If he can buy you a beautiful ring, I'm sure he can do a beautiful wedding," she stated, "U-Unless you're helping him with it too?"

The pink hedgehog rolled her eyes playfully. "Of course I am, silly! I think he'd collapse if had to worry about the wedding and his work at NASDAQ at the same time."

"Did he come with you?"

"Mhm! He just went into the rest room. What about you? Did you come with anyone?"

"Uh," Tikal hesitated and turned back to the party. She noticed Shadow and Rouge were out of sight from the dance. Roaming her eyes around quickly, she turned them back to Amy with a forced smile, "N-No. No, I came alone."

"You did?" Amy didn't hold back her amusement, "Not even with a friend or...?"

"...No."

"Oh well, I guess you're one of the lucky ones," she said with another laugh, "At least you don't have to worry about carrying a drunk partner back home."

Blaze suddenly emerged in front of them. "Tell me about it," she said dryly whilst holding a very drunk Silver around her shoulder. She put him down carefully onto the barstool, "This guy had too much to drink that he's almost about to pass out."

"Is he all right?" Tikal asked with concern raising her voice.

"He's fine," Blaze said whilst stifling a laugh, "Thank god he's not a chatty drunk, I wouldn't hear the end of it."

"Pfft, you're so lucky!" Amy exasperated, "Whenever Sonic's drunk, he won't stop with his cheesy puns about how I'd look on the particular day. Even when we're getting ready for bed!"

"Amy!" Sonic whined, appearing beside his fiancé, "You promised you weren't gonna tell anybody about that!"

"Oops," she shrugged innocently and pecked his lips, "Guess it slipped!"

Sonic rolled his eyes and grinned in acknowledgement at Tikal and Blaze. "Hey ladies, how- _whoa!"_ he glanced over to Silver, "What happened to Silver?"

"Drunk out of his mind," Blaze said rubbing her boyfriend's shoulder, "You wouldn't mind giving us a lift home, right? I'd rather not call for a cab and have him embarrass me in front of the driver in case he says anything."

"Sure!" Amy replied, sending a smug expression at Sonic, "That's _if_ Sonic doesn't get himself knocked out after a couple of drinks, then _I'll_ be the one driving."

"Oh, be quiet babe!" the blue hedgehog waved off with a groan, "I'll be fine! Besides, I've got an important meeting tomorrow afternoon so there's no way I'm having a hangover," he then smiled at Tikal, "You heard the news, right?"

"I did," Tikal nodded sharing the same enthusiasm back, "Congratulations! I'm happy that you and Knuckles managed to seal the deal with Nextron."

"Thanks!" Sonic humbly scratched the back of his head, "Call it a team effort! Things have been going muuuch smoother since Knucklehead came back."

"That's good! I'm really glad."

The conversation she had with the group really took her mind off of things for the rest of the party. She enjoyed watching Sonic and Amy's constant teasing and light hearted bickering at each other and then kept laughing when Silver would put in his drunken inputs which would earn a scolding from Blaze. There was still no sign of Shadow but she tried her best to not let it get to her and continued to happily focus on her friends in front of her.

"Can you guys take Silver into the car?" Blaze asked the couple when the party started to come to an end, "I wanna talk to Tikal for a bit."

"Noo problem!" Sonic propped Silver's arm onto his shoulder, "C'mon Silver man, it's time to go!" he nodded towards Tikal's direction, "It was nice seeing you again, Tik!"

"I'll let you know when I start sending the wedding invitations, all right?" Amy hugged Tikal again tightly, "I'll see you soon!"

She smiled at them. "Bye guys!"

Once they were out of shot, Blaze immediately asked her, "So where's Shadow? He came with you, right?"

The echidna paused in finishing her drink, putting the glass down solemnly. "Yes... he did."

"Then where is he? Isn't he supposed to be clinging onto you?"

Twiddling with her thumbs, Tikal let out a sigh through her nostrils. "He went off with Rouge..."

"What?" Blaze said in bewilderment, "He just left you here to go with her?"

Tikal winced. "I-I told him it was fine."

"...You look anything but fine about it though."

She let her guard down, a little frustrated that her friend could read her so easily. "Is it that obvious?"

"Very," Blaze replied as a smirk rose against her lips, "You like him."

Hearing someone else say it was far more different than hearing herself say it. "It's a little ridiculous, isn't it?"

"No, I wouldn't say that," she told her gently, "It was bound to happen sooner or later, right?"

_It happened the first second I saw him._ "R-Right..."

"Don't worry," Blaze gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, "I'm sure things will work out between you two if he feels the same way."

"It's only been a week. I'm sure he doesn't and probably never will."

"You two are practically _living_ together. If he doesn't get horny by seeing piece of your body, then there's obviously something wrong with him."

Tikal's face flared._ "B-Blaze!"_

Blaze snorted out a laugh. "What? I'm surprised he hasn't made any moves on you already."

"He's my bodyguard... doing that would probably make him lose his job."

"I mean, since your uncle and Knuckles like him then I think they'll be fine with it."

"Yeah..." Tikal trailed off, her thoughts drifting, _"Maybe."_

Rolling her eyes, Blaze placed her other hand on her shoulder. "No. No _maybe's_ or_ if's._ They _better_ be fine with it."

She shrugged once but nodded anyway. "O-Okay."

"Well, anyway. I need to get back to Silver and make sure he doesn't throw up in Sonic's car," Blaze out her arms around her, "Don't think too hard, all right?"

"All right," she smiled when they pulled away, "Take care, Blaze."

When Blaze was gone, Tikal waited for a few minutes before deciding it was time to leave. The place was emptying so Shadow probably wouldn't be hard to find. Still, she took out her phone and called him as she was walking out of the building. When he didn't pick up, Tikal called him again.

Again, he wasn't picking up. When she heard someone burst in, she looked up to see Shadow running towards her.

"Get on the floor!" he shouted.

"W-What?" Tikal couldn't even hear her own voice as she froze on the spot.

"Get down!" he then screamed. Time seemed to slow down when he reached her, clasping one of his arms around her waist and with the other, he pressed her head into his chest. She felt as he threw both of them down onto the floor just as the gunshots began.

All she could hear were people panicking and screaming. Tikal tried to raise her head to see but Shadow was holding her so tightly that it was impossible for her to even move.

Oh my god._ Oh my god._

_Someone was shooting._

Tikal pressed her face closer to Shadow's chest, trying to block what was going around her. She tried to concentrate on his heartbeat but it didn't help as much since it was almost beating as fast as hers.

She didn't know how much time passed before feeling Shadow shaking her gently.

"Tikal, it's okay. It's over," he whispered calmly but she was too shaken.

The echidna opened her eyes but they were becoming blurry, realising then that she was crying. The sounds of the police sirens echoed and lighted in the background, making a havoc.

"It's fine," Shadow told her reassuringly before pulling her onto her feet, "It's fine... let's get you home."

...

The next morning, Tikal stepped out of the shower and got dressed. She replied to every single text message and call she got from everyone, saying that she was okay and that she wasn't injured. She decided it was best to close the diner for a few days for safety precautions so she called her staff to inform them about that.

Uncle Richard and Knuckles flooded her with calls and she decided to take some time to call the both of them back to reassure them.

When she went downstairs, she saw Shadow sitting in the living room in front of the coffee table. He was talking into his phone, concentrating on writing something with his pen on paper. He sounded frustrated and a little tired but she decided not question him until he was done.

When he kissed his teeth and hung up, throwing his phone onto his side, Tikal walked over and sat down next to him. "Shadow?"

Shadow snapped his head up before his features relaxed as he let out a wary sigh. "Sorry, I was on the phone with the police."

Tikal steadily nodded, her stomach almost lurching from last night. "Were... were there any casualties?"

"Yeah _one,"_ he said dryly, "The bastard himself. The police were already on his tail so it didn't take long for them to arrive with the ambulance."

A sense of relief went through her but the thought of the guy killing himself disturbed her at the same time. "Oh..."

"How did you sleep?"

"Okay."

"...Good."

It was a blatant lie. And he probably knew that already. She couldn't sleep at all, and when she finally did, it would only last an hour because she'd jolt awake and break a sweat.

If it hadn't been for Shadow, she would've been shot for sure. In the aftermath, she could remember thanking him before passing out into his arms.

Suddenly, the whole situation with him and Rouge flew into her head. The small PTSD she was suffering seemed to have been calming down little by little, and she wanted to forget about it as much as she could so it wouldn't affect her work in the next few days.

She _needed_ to ask him.

When Shadow stood up to make his way out, Tikal selfishly couldn't stop her herself. "Where were you last night?"

He paused his feet and turned around. "What?"

"Last night," she said, growing more confident this time, "You left with Rouge somewhere and I couldn't see you anymore."

The hedgehog stared at her and she only stared back, giving off the same energy. The room became tense, more tense than she realised. When he wasn't saying anything, Tikal gingerly stood up and padded her way to him but still left some distance when she stopped.

"D-Did you guys-"

"We just talked," he cut her off curtly, his expression remaining stoic but she could detect a hint of irritation in his wording.

Tikal couldn't help but frown. "Then where did you go?"

"We just had a drink at the other bar table further in and then we talked outside."

"That's it?" she murmured.

Shadow frowned a little. "What do you mean 'that's it'?" His frown and tone sharpened, "Did you think that we-" He broke off then when realising where she was getting at, "No. _No_, I didn't do _anything_ with her."

Tikal anxiously bit her lip. "So you left me alone in potential danger so you could spend the whole night talking to her?"

He threw a glare at her this time, but she didn't show her fear. "If I might add, you were the one that told me I could."

"Not for the whole night," the echidna retorted, "Many people would use Rouge as an opportunity."

"So you think I just fucked her and left?" Shadow shot back whilst squinting at her, "The fact that you think so low of me in that criteria surprises me."

"It doesn't matter," Tikal knew she was being unreasonable but her feelings were starting to take control, "You still left me alone to go with her."

"I tried to leave so I could go back to you-"

"C-Clearly you didn't try hard enough!"

"You had my number. If you called me, I would've came to you right away."

"I did call you, _twice_, and you weren't picking up."

"You decided to call me towards the end of the party... where I was _already_ running towards you when the shooting was about to start."

"...Do I really need to call my own bodyguard to say to him that he shouldn't be taking his time talking to another girl, when he should be looking after his client instead?"

His glare hardened. "I don't need you to explain to me on how to do my job, Tikal."

"Yes,_ I do._"

"No, _you don't_."

"We were in her club, Shadow. And with the way she was touching you, she didn't seem like just an old friend of yours."

Shadow took a bold step forward, his ruby eyes piercing into her blue. "Why?" he muttered darkly, "Does that bother you?"

Her eyes widened as she found herself blushing at their now close proximity. The confidence she just had was replaced with immediate fear as she scurried back frantically. _"W-What?"_

"Say if I didn't leave and stayed there dancing with her in front of you," Shadow said and filled their gap again. He leaned closer to her face with a pair of daunting orbs, "Would that have bothered you?"

Tikal suddenly couldn't breathe. Her stomach was clenching and her heart was beating at a rapid pace. When she took another step back, he only followed her. Another and another and another until she felt her back hit the wall. She shot her eyes down onto the floor when he began caging her inside his arms.

"Tell me it bothers you."

She sucked in a breath. "I-It doesn't bother me..."

"It does."

_"It doesn't!"_

"Then why aren't you looking at me?" he demanded.

Biting her lip, she whispered, "...Because I'm angry at you."

"For what exactly?"

Tikal flared her eyes at him. "F-For leaving me with Rouge!"

The corner of Shadow's lips finally etched into a small smirk. "So it does bother you."

"N-No. Not in the way you're thinking."

"Oh believe me," he said, drawing his finger up against her jaw with those daunting red eyes, "I'm confident into believing it is that way."

She shivered ever so gently at his sudden touch as another gracious blush crept up to her cheeks. "No..." Tikal still managed to deny, but it steadily became obvious that she was losing this battle, _"I-It's not..."_

Their gazes held one another's ever so tightly. It was like fire battling with ice. Though, the ice was becoming progressively fragile as the fire began seeping into its shards, breaking them relentlessly and without such effort.

How did he keep doing that? Staring at her until she finally broke? Did he somehow find it amusing? Did he enjoy_ getting_ a reaction out from her?

"Do you know..." Shadow trailed his next words delicately, his lips hovering over her face, "How_ difficult_ it was for me to keep my composure when seeing you in that dress last night?"

Tikal stiffened on spot, feeling everything in her body tighten. "W-What?"

The hedgehog's eyes burned with something she couldn't describe. "You garnered a lot of attention... _a lot of looks_," the slight detest in his voice wasn't lost, "They wanted you. They wanted to have their way with you and you didn't see it."

She didn't say anything, she _couldn't_ say anything. _The look..._ the dangerous stare he was giving her, demanded her to stay quiet as he spoke.

"I couldn't blame them," Shadow said, his voice low and almost growling when he whispered closely, "All I wanted to do is take you back home and make you mine."

Her eyes widened when something growing hard was pressing against her front. The sensation grew and grew until she felt herself emitting out a gasp.

"You walk around the house, unaware how tempting your body really is, _Miss Aldaine_," he nearly mocked as his hand moved across her leg underneath her dress, "You don't realise what it does to me. How it makes me feel. How it makes me want to throw you onto that bed every night."

Heat erupting through her body. _Heat._ She couldn't control it. One of her legs were shaking against his hip, the other struggling to stand still as it wobbled helplessly.

"But I knew," the man seethed against his teeth, "That if I were to do such a thing and have my way," he glided his fingers down her torso, his gaze still locked onto hers as he let his lips nip at her ear, "You wouldn't be walking for at least a _god damn_ week."

Shadow abruptly pulled away and briskly stalked out of the living room without a second glance. Tikal slid her back down the wall, all the strength steadily leaving her body as she stared after him in stunned silence.

...

"Is something the matter, dear?"

Tikal idly doodled on her notebook, clearly distracted from her surroundings as Jenny's voice somehow sounded far away.

She couldn't stop thinking about it. _She couldn't stop thinking about him._

After Shadow had practically left her in a daze yesterday morning, she barely saw him throughout the day. He was still in the penthouse of course, but he kept himself as far away from her as possible. He didn't speak to her nor even made direct eye contact with her. It was so petty of him but what was even pettier was that she decided to do the same thing. They were acting like they had no recollection of what happened.

Or at least _he_ was having no recollection of what happened.

His words didn't leave her head. They were ingrained in there.

The way he said them. _The way his touch sent jolts of electric sparks into her body._ She could remember them clearly. She could recite them from word to word if she wanted to.

_My god._ She wanted it to happen again. She would of been lying if she said she didn't like it.

She loved it. She wanted more of it. It sounded shameless, but _she did._ His arousal for her was obvious and she thought she made it clear that hers was as well.

Tikal hated the silent treatment. Why would he say such... _seducing things_ and then do that? Was it some kind of punishment? To make her feel the need to want him over and over again until she gave up and toppled over him?

If it was... then it was doing its job. It was working. They were both punishing each other. It was eating her more than she thought it would and she hated it. It was so _distracting._

When Jenny's question finally registered, Tikal looked up at the elderly brown fox with a reluctant smile. "N-No, I'm fine Jenny."

Jenny placed a plate of omelette in front of her before sitting beside her. "I know I've been unwell these past few weeks, but I am definitely able to tell when you're not yourself," she gave her a warm smile and pushed away some of Tikal's dreads from her face, "What seems to be bothering you, Tikal?"

Tikal leaned against the older woman's touch, smiling once more at the affection. "Just stressed. I-I have a lot on my mind."

"Is it about the incident that happened in the club?"

"No, not that..." Even though the shooting would still haunt her, it hadn't been the priority to think about. If people other than the shooter were killed, it would. But nobody had any serious injuries so she felt the need not to focus on it... for the best really. She shrugged one shoulder at Jenny. "Business has been busy and I-I haven't had the chance to sleep properly."

"Is that so?" Jenny arched an eye before giving the echidna a knowing look, "Are you sure it's not about that young handsome gentleman who's been looking after you?"

_She read her like a book._

Tikal tightly pressed her lips together to avoid her blush becoming any redder. "It's really obvious, isn't it?"

The elder woman let out a soft laugh. "Believe me, dear. I may be old but these eyes aren't fooling anyone, especially when seeing a young one in love."

The echidna sighed, leaning back against her chair as she hugged herself in pity. "I haven't even known him for long and already feel like this. I-Is it normal?"

"That sort of thing works in mysterious ways," Jenny explained, "You never expect it and when it does happen, you think it's ridiculous at first. Believe me, it's still common for people to be in your shoes," the fox looked at her closely, "But I don't think that's the main reason why you look so glum. Did you two have some sort of disagreement with each other?"

Tikal sent her an uneasy smile. "Sort of..."

"Then I'm sure it'll work out," she said, "I do think it's quite impossible to avoid him since he has to be with you everywhere you go, am I right?" Jenny laughed again, "Whatever happened will soon dissolve and I'm sure the two of you will be on speaking terms again."

Tikal didn't want Jenny to start questioning her about what really happened yesterday. If she did, she wouldn't now how to answer. My bodyguard started confessing his lust for me in the most seducing way possible, didn't seem like the most appropriate thing to say at the breakfast table. However, she didn't have to worry about Jenny spilling the beans to anybody. She trusted her to not say a word about it to her brother and uncle until she was ready to do so herself.

That would be if her and Shadow would even _progress_ to that stage.

"Thanks Jenny..." she said gratefully before looking at the older woman, "How are you feeling, by the way?"

"Oh, don't worry about me," Jenny wavered off, "It was just a little flu. I feel very much fine."

"The doctor told me you weren't able to move out from your bed for a week," Tikal said, worried, "Jenny, if you need more time to recover then please say so. I'll still give you sick pay and help with the medical bills if you need me."

"That's very sweet of you, Tikal. I'll keep that in mind but for now I'm fine with whatever you need me to do and," the fox eyed on her untouched breakfast, "You need to eat. I know you're not running the diner today but at least get some food in your system this morning, all right?"

Tikal spent time helping her clean up the kitchen after she ate breakfast. When Jenny left the penthouse after having done cleaning the living room, she called up her employees to let them know she'd be opening the diner tomorrow. Grabbing her laptop from the coffee table, she made herself comfortable on the couch as she went through some bills and emails.

After a while, her eyes caught Shadow coming into frame from the balcony window opposite. He was talking on the phone, pacing around. She couldn't hear him but she could see that he didn't look all too happy. His eyes were furrowed and his teeth were gritting causing his muscles from his jaw to show easily. She continued to look at him, debating whether to go over there and ask what was wrong or just stay put. She decided the latter, thinking he'd be done soon anyway.

The second time she lifted her gaze off from her laptop, it had been thirty minutes since she last looked and Shadow was sat on one of the chairs, a drink in hand as his eyes were settled on the skyline. She couldn't see him all too properly, but she could notice the creases on his forehead building up as he absently ran a hand down his face.

Tikal closed her laptop lid and set it aside. Gingerly walking over to the giant glass window, she stood there for a moment and then pushed the entrance door open. Shadow didn't even flinch nor even turned to see that she was here, like he knew she'd ending up coming out anyway. His eyes remained on the skyline whilst she walked forward and leaned her elbows on the railing.

She ignored the shrivel chill down her spine. Her nerves were kicking in and knowing that Shadow's eyes were probably dead set on her now wasn't helping either. Tikal took a deep breath and focused on looking at the city in front of her.

It was relaxing, the silence. It was like the tension between them was long forgotten. Only seeing a beautiful city like New York from this height would do that to you. Maybe that was why Shadow kept coming here all day yesterday and this morning... to forget it all and continue doing his job.

But trying to forget it all wasn't an option for the both of them. It happened and was still fresh in their heads. Whether she should toss it aside and talk about it later or suck it up and talk about it right now... _No_, Tikal would rather wait for the perfect time.

When Tikal heard someone buzzing up, she blinked and glanced a look of confusion at Shadow's direction. Jenny was already gone and she didn't remember making any orders for delivery. Shadow stood up and she followed him as they headed towards the front.

Tikal pressed the button on hold and asked, "Who is it?"

"Hey Tikal, it's Knuckles! I just came by to see how you're doing. You don't mind the sudden visit, do you?"

"O-Oh, Knuckles!" she smiled and pressed on the key button, "No, I don't mind at all. I'm letting you up!"

She waited until Knuckles sounded the door bell on the front door. She pulled it open and expected him to be alone but was surprised to see Rouge standing next to him. Rouge waved at her with that usual sultry smile of hers and Tikal averted her gaze to Knuckles, where he just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"I was supposed to come on my own but _someone_ decided to show up in my office unannounced," her brother explained with a grunt, "Sorry about that."

Rouge scoffed. "Is that seriously how you talk about me to your own sister? How rude!"

Knuckles just sneered at her. "Can't help it when you go out of your way just to waste my time and annoy me."

Before a full blown argument could happen, Tikal sheepishly interjected and opened the door wider for them to enter. "C-Come on in, I'll make you both some coffee."

When they walked in, Rouge immediately noticed Shadow behind her and smirked lightly between them. "So you two are friends and live together as well, hm?"

Tikal tensed up and shot a nervous quick side glance at the black hedgehog. He was leaned up against the wall and wasn't looking at any of them. Just staring idly down at the ground before closing his eyes. Though hearing Rouge's question, she could tell he was annoyed by it when his frown slowly turned into a small scowl.

"Shadow's her bodyguard," Knuckles simply explained and took the bat's arm, "Come on, let's sit down before you keep prying into their business."

"Bodyguard?" Rouge questioned and raised an eye as Knuckles pulled her along into the living room, "Why would Tikal need a bodyguard?"

"What did I say about prying into their business?!"

"I'm just curious!"

As her brother pulled Rouge away out of frame, Tikal bit the corner of her lip out of embarrassment. Without looking back, she headed towards the kitchen and started to make the coffee.

"Tikal."

She jumped at Shadow's voice and looked as he stood beside her. "Y-Yes?"

Shadow's eyes drifted down to the mugs. "You're pouring too much milk."

Tikal quickly snapped her eyes down to see the milk had she'd been pouring into the mug had been spilled onto the counter. Before she could grab a napkin of some sort, Shadow had a wet cloth ready and wiped off the milk. She watched him sheepishly and cleaned out the two mugs, making the coffee again.

Once she was done, she picked them up and made her way into the living room where Knuckles and Rouge were watching television. She smiled whilst giving them their coffee and sat down on one of the couches that faced opposite them. Shadow came in a few minutes after and sat almost closely beside her, making the echidna blush slightly. She noticed Rouge's gaze on them as she sipped on her cup but the bat averted her eyes back onto the TV.

Tikal didn't want to think about it too much. If Rouge was suspicious about the relationship she had with Shadow, then so be it. There was far too much in her head that she needed to prioritise first.

"By the way, Tikal," Knuckles grabbed the remote and turned down the volume, "Uncle Rich is gonna be on a business trip for a month at Miami. He told me to tell you that he's gonna have a get together party with his company at his mansion. Are you free to come?"

"I think so," she said, "When is he going to have it?"

"This Friday."

"Mm, I could do that!" Tikal nodded with a smile, "Are you gonna be there?"

"Yeah, I'm taking a few people from NASDAQ so Sonic and Tails will be there," Knuckles put down his mug, "Security will be high, obviously since it's Uncle Rich's house, so you won't have to worry about another repeat of Saturday," he suddenly shot a small glare at Rouge, "And I_ mean_ it."

Rouge didn't hide her guilt when she looked at Tikal. In fact, she took a long deep shaky breath. "I'm so sorry, Tikal. I had no idea something like that would happen. If I had better security-"

"It's okay, Rouge," Tikal said kindly with a reassuring voice, "It wasn't your fault. I'm just relieved you're okay too."

"Still," she sighed and placed her mug down onto the coffee table, "You could've gotten hurt. I'm just really glad Shadow was there to protect you."

At the mention of his name, Tikal became acutely aware of the state of her face as it heated up a little from fluster._ If only they knew what happened the morning after..._

"Y-Yes," the echidna managed to say with a hard gulp, "I-I'm glad too..."

It apparently wasn't missed by Rouge's eyes either. She seemed to have been analysing the close proximity between them and how she was acting around the hedgehog. When Tikal nervously turned her head to see Shadow, he continued to squint at the bat, probably realising she was up to something that involved her suspicion.

"Do you mind if I could talk to you for a bit, Tikal?" Rouge asked as she stood up, masking confusion on Knuckles's face and causing a low disgruntled sound from Shadow, "Oh calm down boys, it's just a little girl talk."

Knuckles rolled his eyes and paid his attention back onto the TV. "All right, whatever."

Tikal rubbed her arm before standing up. As she followed Rouge on the way out, she saw her and Shadow exchange looks. Shadow frowned at the bat and looked away with a huff as he went over to sit next to Knuckles.

"So," Rouge started off, closing the kitchen door behind her, "You and Shadow."

The echidna sat on the stool, letting out an embarrassed sigh whilst she fumbled her words, "W-What about it?"

She smirked and sat down opposite her. "Is he just your bodyguard though? The two of you seem like you've got some_ sexual_ tension going on."

Tikal flinched at her assumption and immediately turned red, denying her friend's claim, "N-No! Th-There's nothing like that..."

"Really?" Rouge leaned her back against her the counter, "I've never seen Shadow look at someone like the way he looks at you."

"...What do you mean?"

"You know, after we broke up, he never bothered to look for another relationship and just started doing hook ups when he felt like it."

_So they did date._ Tikal nodded slowly and waited for a few moments before asking, "Did... Did you love him?"

"I thought I did," Rouge answered with the utmost honesty in her voice, "But I realised we weren't compatible like we thought we were gonna be. We were better off friends," she sighed, smiling at her, "I think he knew I had the hots for your brother."

That caught Tikal by surprise. "You like Knuckles...?"

"Uh huh!" she laughed and shook her head, "Who would've thought I would ever fall in love with an idiot like him? He never pays attention to any of my advances and he barely answers my phone calls! Ugh, he's pretending to play hard to get, that stupid echidna..."

She didn't know what to say and just stared at Rouge as she went off on a tangent about Knuckles. That was news. She knew Knuckles and Rouge were relatively close but she was unaware about the potential attraction they had with one another. Whenever Tikal would ask about Rouge to Knuckles in the earlier days, she would notice that he'd immediately scoff and would rather not waste his time talking about her. Needless to say, she didn't miss the fluster on his face whenever she asked.

It still didn't answer her pondering though. Tikal still remembered at the dinner table, how Shadow's face changed when she mentioned about him being in a relationship. Of course Rouge was the obvious conclusion but... the dread he had plastered over him told her that it wasn't Rouge that he had a serious relationship with.

Tikal wasn't able to stop herself when she asked the big question, "Who was Shadow in love with?"

Rouge abruptly paused in her rant and looked at her. Tikal realised what she said and as much as she wanted to recoil and say it didn't matter, something in her pushed her for answers. She knew she was asking too much but... she _wanted_ to know. At this point, she had no shame of wanting to know. Tikal was usually very passive about her curiosity, she didn't want people to think she was prying into their business and she knew it was impolite to do so. But... this was _Shadow_ they were talking about. Her bodyguard. Her bodyguard that she very_ heavily_ fancied.

Her friend let a longing sigh and crossed her arms, gazing down at the floor warily. "It was this girl named Eva," the detest wasn't hidden in Rouge's voice, "They met each other in senior year at high school and pretty much became a thing even during college too. She was a nice girl, pretty even. They were happy with each other and he was really in love with her. But that was high school."

She nodded and gently pressed on. "Then what happened?"

"Because he was working for the G.U.N at the same time during college, he had a lot of restrictions. He tried to explain to her about it but that stupid toxic bitch didn't care. He even went out of his way when he wasn't working or studying to make time for her and she just shoved him off. It really hurt him. I know Shadow acts stubborn and all but... when he was talking to me on the phone about it, he just sounded _off._ You could hear it in his voice that he was just tired."

Tikal inhaled shakily, fearing the worst for the story. "Did... did she-?"

"Yep," Rouge confirmed, "Right in front of him. They shared an apartment together and he just walked in after work and saw her on top of another man on the couch. Of course, she started to make up excuses and shit like that, but thankfully Shadow didn't believe her and just told her to pack her stuff up and leave. She wasn't even paying her half of the apartment anyway so it was all his," she closed her eyes and crossed her arms, "That's not even the worst thing that happened though."

"What do you mean?" the echidna asked.

"The guy Eva cheated on Shadow with was part of some gang and she got dragged into stealing and doing drugs. One day, the gang were in some car chase because they stole a bunch of cocaine from some rival gang. The car crashed into another one and they all ran out of it, leaving Eva behind. It got caught on fire and the first thing she did was call Shadow. Shadow wasn't answering so she left him a voice note saying how sorry she was for cheating on him and regretted everything that she did and wished she didn't do it. The car caught on fire just before the paramedics came and she died of smoke inhalation."

"O-Oh my god..." Tikal's voice cracked, her eyes widened more and more until she covered her mouth to refrain herself from crying.

Rouge nodded, a solemn look on her face. "I know. Shadow wouldn't speak to anyone for weeks after that. He shut himself away completely and I couldn't even get a hold of him for a while. When I finally saw him... I don't know, I just felt really _bad_ for him and things between us sort of kicked off from there. We weren't in love with each other, we both knew that. But I just wanted to make sure he wasn't... _alone_, you know? When he realised that I was falling for your brother instead, we broke it off without any hard feelings and he went to go off to join the military."

A moment of silence surrounded the two as Tikal took in everything what Rouge said. Her mouth instantly went dry, feeling sick to her stomach as she played the scenarios in her head thinking what Shadow must've went through. She stood up and filled two glasses of water before handing one to her friend.

"Thank you," Rouge said with a smile and slowly downed the water before steadily continuing on with the story, "When Shadow came back to work as a bodyguard, I think it really helped him to put his mind off of it. It still affected him occasionally but not to the point where he was gloomy all the time," she then laughed and smirked at her, "I guess that's all thanks to you."

"Me?" Tikal asked confusedly, "I-I don't understand..."

"You didn't see because you were always behind the till or in your office, but I would bring Shadow into your diner so we could have a friendly little chit-chat once in a while. Needless to say, whenever you came into his frame, he would _not stop_ looking at you."

"...Really?" she blushed again but it was more out of bewilderment and obliviousness... and then progressively turned into embarrassment, "I never noticed..."

"He didn't want you to," the bat stated with a bemused smile, "It was so cute, honestly. We kept coming in from time to time by his request just so he can ogle at you for three hours straight. Gosh, was that boy_ hooked._ That was why at the party I thought he finally hit you up or something. When Knuckles said he was your bodyguard, yeah, I was pretty shocked... but not surprised," Rouge paused and gave her a curious look, "By the way, why did you need a bodyguard?"

Tikal was still processing what Rouge just said about Shadow that the other question didn't click into her head until a few seconds later. "O-Oh!" she cleared her throat and hunched her shoulders, rubbing her arms, "I-I was assaulted a few weeks back a-and..." Tikal swallowed harshly, "My uncle and my lawyer, Scott, were scared of my safety because it was happening so frequently... so they hired Shadow to be my bodyguard."

"Oh god," Rouge leaned in to rest her hand on top of hers for comfort, "Tikal, I'm so sorry. I can't believe those bastards even dared to touch you inappropriately like that. I'm assuming none of that has happened now that you've got Shadow."

She shook her head with a light smile. "None. It was daunting a little at first to have him beside me all the time b-but I eventually got used to it," Tikal expelled a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Rouge."

"For what?"

Stalling on her words, Tikal sighed. "I-I overreacted a little at Shadow yesterday morning. He was gone for so long with you at the party I-I thought the two of you... had _something_ going on and I was..." Her face heated as she curled up her fingers, "I-I was feeling some resentment towards the whole situation," she drifted her eyes to her friend, "I'm sorry."

Rouge held her gaze on her before she smiled. "You like him."

She laughed nervously, her blush reaching to a ridiculous red. There was no point denying it anymore to anyone or to herself. "Is it weird that I do already? I've only known him for a bit and... I already feel this way. H-He's just so..."

"Hot? Sexy? Delicious? _Mesmerising?_"

"Y-Yes," Tikal admitted, suddenly feeling shameless,_ "...All of that."_

Her friend snorted out a laugh. "Don't feel ashamed, Tikal! You're just in love!"

"I know but... Shadow's my _bodyguard._ If my uncle and Knuckles find out, then I don't know what would happen to him. I-I don't want him to stop being my bodyguard and I don't want him to lose his job because of it."

"Well, he would technically stop being your bodyguard because he'd be your boyfriend instead."

She yelped. "R-Rouge!"

Rouge calmed her giggle fit and shook her head. "Don't worry about Knucklehead. He'll probably overreact like the usual overprotective brother he is, but he'll eventually be fine with it. If he isn't, I'll just knock some sense into him. Your uncle is literally one of the nicest people I've ever met and he_ isn't_ your father. Shadow practically saved your life and they both know that, Tikal."

Tikal held onto her words before a smile came across her lips. "Thank you, Rouge. I just hope you're right..."

...

Tikal looked up at the clock. It was quarter past seven in the evening. Knuckles and Rouge left a while ago after she decided to prepare dinner for everybody. Drying off her dreads with a towel, she slipped into her dark blue nightgown and padded her way out of her room and down the hallway. When she was passing Shadow's room, she heard the shower running. It stopped and then footsteps sounded after. The room door was left ajar and there was light coming out of it. It was dim. Her hands suddenly became shaky and so were her knees as she took tiny steps. Should she knock...?

_Breathe, Tikal. Breathe._

When Shadow came into view, Tikal watched as he slipped on a navy blue t-shirt over his head. She placed her palm on the door and pushed it slowly.

"Shadow?" her voice came out as a whisper.

He turned around, looking slightly startled at her sudden intrusion but then relaxed. "Tikal," his eyes briefly scanned her body, "Is everything all right?"

"Y-Yes," she nodded and then shook her head, closing the door behind her, _"No."_

She looked into his eyes and gulped, trying to get rid of the knot forming inside her throat.

Shadow looked tired. This was the first time she'd ever seen him this exhausted. There were slight dark circles under his eyes... and a slight dark stubble covering his jawline making him look much more intimidating.

They stared at each other for a moment, without saying a word. She hoped he could read everything she wanted to tell him in her eyes.

Tikal finally took a hesitant step towards him. "You look out of it."

He averted his look away as he dried off the remaining droplets from his quills, before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "It's been a long day."

She walked closer to him and Shadow watched her as she climbed onto the bed and sat behind him. "You look really tense is what I meant," Tikal said and cautiously started to rub his shoulders but paused, "D-Do you mind...?"

Shadow stayed silent and it almost made her recoil until he mumbled a, "No..."

Tikal smiled and continued her actions. Shadow's muscle felt strained, like he had been working too hard again. The police must've kept him occupied all day as the investigation to what led to the shooting continued. Being a previous agent himself, he was probably bombarded with calls and emails. She felt bad for him. He had to do all of that on top of looking after her as well.

Her fingers drifted up from his shoulders and into his hair, gentle grazing across his scalp and temples. He groaned lowly. "Another minute of that and you're going to put me to sleep."

"Mm, maybe that's just what the doctor ordered!"

"Probably."

Tikal's smile faded whilst her fingers momentarily stalled. She took in a deep breath, idly staring at his backside. "I'm sorry."

He said nothing which prompted her to continue. "I'm sorry for accusing you of doing something with Rouge back at the party. I-I overreacted and said too much to make you angry. I wasn't thinking and let my head make up all those assumptions when it was just me overthinking it. I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you were telling me the truth," her lips started to quiver, "I-I'm sorry, Shadow. I'm sorr-"

"Tikal."

Her words seized. "Y-Yes?"

"Just be quiet."

Tikal blushed and pulled back her hands. "...A-All right."

The silence was eerie. But it wasn't as tense as before. Probably because she finally lifted some of the weight off from her shoulders. It was normal for Shadow not to respond right away in regards to situations like this... or not even respond at all. Nonetheless, she remained quiet and waited for the man to say something.

When he finally did, her heart became heavy. "Rouge... she told you, didn't she?"

He didn't sound angry. There wasn't even a hint of anger in his voice. He sounded..._ soft_ and Tikal let out a jittery breath. It was still hurting him and she couldn't blame him at all.

"None of it was your fault, Shadow," she said and leaned in to press her face against his back, daringly wrapping her arms around his waist, "Please don't blame yourself for it. Never blame yourself for it."

"Funny," Shadow lifted his legs up onto the bed before turning around to face her. They were close now and his arms slithered around her own waist, his fingers feeling the obvious length and thinness of her nightgown. His eyes grazed her own and she was melting again. "I never really did. I just hated myself for letting it get to me more than it should've."

Tikal bit the corner of her lip, her usual habit when she became so nervous. Her arms went up around his neck, her legs wrapping themselves against his hips. Shadow kept his gaze on her the whole time and the anticipation was steadily reaching its peak. Her now half-lidded eyes drifted to his lips and he was looking at her own as well. She leaned in, his breath intoxicating hers. Her heart was beating so fast and her lips quivered again. His thumb brushed her lower lip and his touch was incredibly tender and warm. Her finger carefully traced his strong jawline. The tiny gap between them was still there and they wasted no time to close it.

It was her first kiss. She didn't know how well she was doing or even know how to do it well at all. She just moved her lips, trying to be in sync with him all whilst she prayed that she wasn't making him feel uncomfortable with her inexperience.

_He would not stop looking at you._

Rouge's words played in her head again and again and they motivated her to go deeper and she did. She deepened the kiss and Shadow responded back equally. Both were becoming eager and the want for more climbed higher. Tikal felt her body becoming heated and weaker against his touch, making her let out soft sounds she never thought of ever doing. She could tell he was feeling the same when his grip tightened around her.

They pulled away, both catching their breaths. They stared at each other, eyes not leaving the other. Tikal didn't know how red she was becoming at this point, but she knew she wanted to go further. She was itching have more. She knew how excited women were when these sorts of things happened, but she didn't think she'd be one of them. She now understood what it felt like and didn't feel ashamed anymore.

They fell down onto the bed, her head hitting the pillows as Shadow hovered over her. Their lips connected again, the restraint from the first kiss completely gone, releasing all of the pent up passion, frustration, confusion and want that had been felt but never expressed properly between them. Yesterday, she knew how much Shadow was holding back, trying to not let his lust scare her. She knew how hard it must've been for him, to stare at her for so long, to want to be with her but was afraid of rejection and hurt he felt from his past. Tikal didn't want him to feel that way ever again and she wanted to make sure of it.

She gasped softly against their kiss when feeling his hand crawling underneath her nightgown. He pulled away and feathered kisses down her cheeks and further down into her neck. Tikal closed her eyes, taking in everything he was doing to her. He was going painfully slow but she knew he was being considerate and she was happy that he understood that, even without words. Shadow could've ravished her right away, making her become undone in seconds but didn't. No matter how quickly aroused he was, Shadow wasn't going to scare her into thinking she didn't want this.

The thin straps of her nightgown were loosened past down her shoulder. When Shadow paused against her neck and drew away slightly, he eyed at her bare shoulder and then at her chest, before locking his tentative gaze onto hers.

Tikal just smiled and nodded, accepting his permission to continue. He hesitated for a moment, leaning down to kiss her once again before lowering the front part of her gown. The echidna suddenly felt shy. Having her body exposed like this wasn't something immune to her. As much as she wanted this, the insecurities of her own figure always dwelled on her. She was always cautious about her body weight and even if someone like her brother, Blaze or Rouge said there was nothing to worry about, Tikal couldn't immediately take their comfort right away about it. She was grateful for the support, but she realised it was her own problem to deal with.

When Shadow noticed, he just gave her a small reassuring smile and rolled his tongue around her nipple. Tikal tried to control her sharp gasps but feeling the warmth of his tongue circling around her cold skin was exhilarating.

"Shadow..." Tikal moaned his name, yelping quietly when he kept sucking feverishly and then softly biting down her nipple, earning another reaction from her, "Ahhn..."

He went to her other breast, which was heaving at this point and did the same whilst rubbing the previous. She gripped on his shoulders as he continued, trying her best to keep her sounds in check but it definitely proved to be a struggle when he was pleasuring her so well.

Exhaling long and slow, Tikal watched him going down her body whilst pulling off her gown until it was completely off. He discarded it and trailed his fingers up against the side of her legs. Not breaking their eye contact as his palm reached her thigh, he applied pressure to it with a light grasp. When Tikal let out another long, heavy breath at the sensation. The slow, mesmerising motion made her squeeze her eyes shut, the nervous tension in her body readily gave way to the ministrations of his fingers and lips.

Shadow slid off his t-shirt and she took the time to admire his build. The training at the military really did him some justice, because he was absolutely _gorgeous._ She ran her small hands up his chest and muscle, shamelessly ogling at every detail and faded scar on his skin. He stared at her as she did so before taking a hold of her right hand, peppering kisses on her finger tips and her knuckles and then down her arm.

She pressed her fingers into the flesh of his shoulders as another thrill of pleasure went down her spine.

Their lips came together again, this time more fervent and vehement than before until she felt his hand at her hip shift up to the rim of her panties. Biting her lip, Tikal tried not to start trembling again as she shifted slightly to accommodate their removal, but when she saw Shadow's hands go to the edge of his sweatpants and boxers- especially when they were _gone_, she felt him brush against her inner thigh. All at once, the previous discussions she had long ago with her friends about sex came pouring back into her mind at a dizzying pace.

_It hurts the first time... but it feels so good towards the middle of it!_

_Best night I've ever had... too bad he was in a rush._

_It was more than good..._

And now, Tikal was about to find out herself. What if her first time round turned out to be miserable? What if it hurt too much? What if it were over too fast? What if she got preg-

She watched suddenly as Shadow leaned over to the nightstand draw and opened it, taking out a packet of...

_Oh._

She blushed, hearing him slip it on and then shifted himself into position. _Oh my god..._

"It'll only hurt for a minute," Shadow's voice interrupted Tikal's inner fears. When she looked up at him in lingering uncertainty, he repeated again, "It'll probably hurt, but it won't last very long, Tikal." When her nervous expression lingered, he calmly added, "If any other time I'm hurting you, then tell me, all right?"

Tikal nodded and decided that she'd try to push away her uncertainties as she slowly spread her legs apart to give Shadow room to settle between them. Her small chest rose up and then down, her hands squeezing onto Shadow's shoulders when she braced herself for it. The minute she felt him enter, Tikal tried to bite her lip amidst the shock of it. It didn't hurt the way she expected it to, but it still felt so very intrusive. Almost invasive even though she was letting it happen. Her silence gave way to a sharp restrained gasp when Shadow began moving. The dull, throbbing ache transitioned into a jolting pain which left and took her completely off guard. If it was going to hurt this bad, then Tikal didn't know if she could let him go on...

"Shadow—" Tikal whispered shakily, her finger nails digging into his skin.

"It'll stop hurting if you move your waist with mine, Tikal," he interjected lowly, his voice still steady, "The next time I move my waist, move yours with me and it will stop hurting."

Tikal didn't want to believe him. Not when it was hurting like the way it did. Shadow couldn't possibly fathom what she was going through, he was the male here, so how could he be so sure? But somehow, she managed to take a deep breath through the pain and nodded. Waiting, she steeled and braced herself for the next inevitable spasm of pain. When Shadow moved again, Tikal arched her hips up slightly from the bed and met his thrust. He'd been half right, it didn't hurt as much as before. Having that in mind, the next move he made, Tikal wasn't hesitant anymore and responded just the same. Along with the next one after that. And the other one after that.

The more Shadow moved inside of her, the less it hurt. In minutes, the hurt was completely gone and was replaced with blissful pleasure. It felt nice... _wonderful_ was more like it. There was no proper way to describe what she was feeling right now, her mind was scattered with feelings of good and warmth.

She loosened her hold from his shoulders and snaked her hands around his back, her fingers scratching and digging into his skin when Shadow went deeper and little quicker. It earned another breathy gasp from her. And another. And another. And another one after that. She could have died when Shadow gradually continued making the rhythm of his thrusts faster and firmer inside of her, the sensations of it absorbing her at an almost overwhelming rate the quicker he went. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. She heard Shadow let out a low groan at the crook of her neck, and continued moving her hips to the unrelenting tempo of his.

At that point, their lovemaking had escalated where the sound of Tikal's moans and gasps echoed through the air and off the walls of the bedroom. Running her hands into his quills, she brought her legs up to hug his hips as she felt the peak, the climax to this beautiful thing swiftly approaching. When it came, she clung onto him firefly, her mouth opened wide that transitioned into a breathless gasp when she felt the tremor rock his body as he released.

Shadow collapsed on top of her, both their breathing matching one another's. Her legs were still fastened around his hips, so when he laid down onto his bad, Tikal ended up lying against his chest. She looked up to see if Shadow was close to falling asleep but he wasn't. In fact, his eyes were wide open, looking at the ceiling of the room as if in deep contemplation. She wondered what he was thinking about, if it had anything to do with what they have just done or something else. She hesitated, then extended her hand to the side of his face to turn it slightly towards her. This time when their eyes met, Tikal didn't feel a gripping nervousness or hesitation bringing her down. All she was able to feel was a swelling, unexplainable pull that only hungered for more of what happened just now.

She was still in him. Did that mean he wanted more as well? When she saw his eyes going down her body, and when she felt herself clench against him, it was clear they both wanted it to happen again. But..._ she_ was on top of him this time. What if she couldn't pleasure Shadow on her own?

However as usual, her doubts were easy to read on her face. Shadow's hands gently took a hold of her waist, holding it over his as he said, "Do what you feel like doing, Tikal."

Softly biting her lower lip, Tikal slid her body up and then down in one movement. A satisfied groan slipped past his lips while a moan from hers as she felt Shadow buried deep within her again, filling up every inch and yet seeming to fit perfectly. The warm, exhilarating glow of pleasure had already begun to creep back inside of her, so she only waited for a moment before moving her hips against his in a firm thrust. Just that movement alone made a thrill of pure bliss shoot down her spine and linger between her legs, Tikal decided to do it again. Then again. And again. And again. _And again.._.

It wasn't long before her hips were rising and falling against the hedgehog's in a steady rhythm. Each time Tikal had felt him buried deep inside of her, she longed to feel it again, harder and firmer than before. The waves of pleasure were overcoming her in multiple sensations at a time, unconsciously making Tikal quicken her pace, her hands clenching and unclenching at the firm unyielding surface of his chest.

Shadow continued stroking against the skin of her back and around her waist, allowing the rest of her body to find the rest of its own pleasure along with his. But as she moved faster, it was becoming harder for the bodyguard to restrain himself. As her gasps and moans filled the air again, his own breathing began to come in short heavy pants. Groaning heavily, he sat up and hugged Tikal's still moving body close to his and let his mouth close around one of her nipples again.

Gasping at the sensation, Tikal let head fall back and moaned his name aloud. He let his tongue swirl around her nipple and kissed it firmly, his fervency increasing her pace. When his lips left her breast, he captured her lips into another deep kiss and turned her body around so that she was under him again. He took control and pinned her arms above her head. Tikal didn't mind though; his broad, hard body covering hers, filling her up and up with him was all she wanted. She shut her eyes as the movement between their bodies resumed, Shadow's thrusts hard and firm as she moaned and gasp in pure bliss.

After another climax, both of their exhaustion was complete. When Shadow pulled himself out of her body, Tikal was tired and devoid from all energy. She wanted to say something, tell him that what she felt was amazing, wanted to thank him for not treating her body like an object, but she was steadily falling asleep. The covers were over her as she curled up against Shadow's chest, feeling his arm around waist before she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The first thing Tikal heard when she woke up that morning was the shower running. She didn't know what to make of it until she sat up against the bed and realised she wasn't in her room. She blinked and then blinked again before flickering her eyes down to her naked frame.

She shrieked, blushing as she quickly covered herself up with the bed sheets and frantically looked around. When she saw her discarded clothes on the floor, all the memories from yesterday's heated night came rushing back into her head.

She had sex with Shadow. _She had sex with Shadow._

Okay, don't panic. Not yet. Okay. _Oh my god_.

Tikal grabbed a blanket from the nightstand and covered herself with it as she stood up. She paused, wincing quietly when she felt pain in between her legs. She felt really sore and it only made her think about what happened and _how good it felt..._

Shaking her head quickly, she grabbed her nightgown and panties off from the floor and then stopped at the doorway. Tikal counted to three and rushed down the hallway of the penthouse and into her room, shutting the door behind her. She didn't mean to shut it so loudly and leaned against it when hearing Shadow saying her name.

"Tikal," he said on the other side, the doorknob moving as he tried to open it, "Tikal, open the door."

She still couldn't fathom the fact that she had sex with her own bodyguard. She was allowed to freak out a little bit, wasn't she? She lost her own virginity to _the _Shadow Cordae and she couldn't believe it._ She couldn't._

Taking a deep breath, Tikal said, "C-Can I get changed first?"

A long pause settled until Shadow replied, "All right. I'll meet you downstairs."

Tikal heard his footsteps fading and she sighed in relief. She ran the shower and brushed her teeth before settling herself into her clothes for the day; a blue flower patterned dress with a long brown cardigan over it. Padding her way out the room, she slowly and hesitantly went down the steps and peeked her head through the kitchen. Jenny was making breakfast and Shadow was already sat down, newspaper and coffee in hand. When he saw that she'd just come in, Tikal blushed and averted her eyes down to the floor as she sat opposite him. Jenny set their food down onto the table and excused herself out the kitchen to start cleaning upstairs.

She idly stared down at her french toast before using her knife and fork to cut through and eat it. She felt Shadow's gaze on her for a second until he went back to reading his paper. Tikal managed to finish her food and drink down half of her orange juice. When she set down her glass, she gulped and looked around nervously. When she daringly looked towards Shadow's direction, he was still reading but caught her gaze anyway. He folded his newspaper away and took off his reading glasses.

"Are you all right?" Shadow asked, breaking the silence.

Tikal seized up and curled her fingers against her lap as she fumbled her answer. "Y-Yes..."

They held their looks to each other for what seemed like an eternity. Shadow just looked at her, as if analysing her and Tikal couldn't help but just sit there and stare back, not knowing what else to say. She felt helpless and the awkwardness between them was really starting to take its toll.

_She couldn't do this_. "I-I'm gonna go help Jenny-"

The echidna stood up to go, ignoring the obvious limp from her walking as she tried to exit the kitchen.

"You can't just run from it, Tikal."

Tikal stopped and whirled around, flinching at his accusation. "I-I'm not running!"

Shadow got up from his chair and took a hold of her hands, to which her blush deepened. "You're not regretting it, are you?"

The hurt in his voice was just slightly there but Tikal felt bad all the same. She felt horrible to make him think that she didn't want it. "No," she whispered, shaking a little as she looked up at him, "I-I'm just..."

"You're just...?"

"O-Overwhelmed," she blurted out and bit her lip, "I'm... I'm not really sure how to react. It..." Tikal gulped harshly, "It was my first time a-and..."

She couldn't read the expression Shadow had on his eyes but she could feel the understanding he had in them. Swallowing hard again as she chewed on her lip, she stammered, "D-Did you like it?"

His face stayed the same for a moment before he muttered a quiet, "Yes..." Shadow gently squeezed their hands together. He must've needed her reassurance too. "Did you?"

Even though Tikal was anxious and probably looked ridiculous with how red she was, she couldn't help but shoot him a tiny smile. "Yes," she answered honestly, "I-I did... _a lot."_

Their eyes locked. Shadow reached out and brushed off some of her dreads from her face. His hand laid upon her cheek as he leaned in carefully. Tikal didn't stop him and did the same. Their lips connected in a soft but swift motion. She wrapped her arms around his neck whilst Shadow held her waist, moving them further into the kitchen her lower back hit the counter. He propped her up on it and they continued to kiss each other. Who were they to deny that they wanted each other and wanted this? She wanted Shadow to be with her. She was scared of the potential circumstances of course, but in the end it wouldn't stop her from wanting to do all of these things with him.

It all pointed towards the question she wanted to ask him. "Shadow," she regrettably pulled away from their kiss, "What are we?"

"What?" he murmured, pecking soft kisses at her wrists.

"This..." Tikal giggled lightly before staring deep into his eyes, "W-We made love last night and we're kissing right now..."

She drifted off, unable to say anything else. She knew that some people never were in an actual relationship and just pleasured each other for the sake of it. Tikal didn't want that. She wanted to be in a relationship with Shadow. She wanted to be serious with him. It seemed like a ridiculous demand considering she hadn't known him for that long but...

Shadow paused in kisses and drifted his gaze up at her. "What do you want us to be?"

Tikal hunched her shoulders sheepishly. "B-Boyfriend and girlfriend?"

He gave her a bemused smile and intertwined their fingers. "All right then. Will you be my girlfriend, Tikal?"

Maybe it was the way he said it or the way they were situated right now that made the butterflies in her stomach react so quickly. Even so, Tikal was smiling in glee and affectionally rubbed their noses together. "What if I said no?" she teased.

Shadow smirked lightly. "Then I'll have to keep chasing you, won't I? Which shouldn't be a problem since I'm with you every day."

Tikal laughed but it eventually died down, though she kept smiling as she combed his quills with her fingers. "What am I supposed to tell Knuckles and Uncle Richard when they find out, Shadow? I don't want you to get into trouble."

"It would be understandable if they get angry," Shadow stated, "If they find out, then they find out. Ultimately, your uncle gets to decide whether I'll still work for you or not. Orders are orders."

She blinked. "You sound really calm about it."

The hedgehog shrugged. "If you're worried about me not being able to see you if I get fired, then don't. We'll still find a way."

"My uncle isn't the type to get angry about these sorts of things," Tikal explained, "Rouge said he isn't like my father, which is true. He always told me to live free... but also have boundaries set. When he told me about finding someone, he just hoped I'd find the right person for me and not for his expectations."

"And did you?"

Her smile widened. "Yes. I think I have."

Shadow smiled back. "When would you like to tell them?"

"I don't know," Tikal hummed, "M-Maybe when the time is right?"

"Okay," he nodded and kissed her hand, "Whenever you feel is right then."

"Am I interrupting something?"

The both of them jumped and turned to see Jenny holding an empty laundry. The elder woman was smiling at the two... knowingly as she set her things down into the cupboard.

"J-Jenny!" Tikal spluttered embarrassingly and hopped off the counter, "We're-"

"Oh there's no need to explain, dear," Jenny said with a faint glint in her eyes, "I'm happy that the two of you are on talking terms again! The house had been very tense for my liking," she laughed, "I'm guessing that the both of you have sorted things out?"

_Oh, they have sorted things out all right._ "W-We have," Tikal nodded and glanced at Shadow, "I'm sorry for worrying you, Jenny."

"It's okay, Tikal. There's no need to apologise at all," the fox casted a teasing look at the two before picking up her cleaning supplies as she headed out again, "You two children have fun. Don't get too naughty now!"

Just as Jenny left, Shadow turned back to look at her. "Does she-"

"Nothing escapes Jenny's eyes," Tikal laughed nervously, "But she won't say anything. I've known Jenny since my diaper days so I trust her," she smiled up at him again, "I called in everyone yesterday about opening up the diner today so I need to get ready for work."

Shadow nodded but pulled away to get something out from the cupboard above her. "Take this first," he popped out a tablet and reached for a glass of water.

Tikal blushed and swallowed the painkiller. "Thank you."

...

"Everything all right?"

Tikal looked up from her computer to see Blaze smiling at her at the doorway of her office. "Hey," she said and smiled back, "Yeah, everything's good! Just checking up on the stock."

"The diner's already packed," Blaze commented, "Looks like everyone missed your food."

She laughed. "I'm glad. We've been getting so many reservations in that it's kind of hard to keep up!" Tikal noticed the purple cat just staring at her with a smug smile, "What? What is it?"

Blaze closed the door behind her and sat down beside the echidna. "Did something happen? You're awfully bubbly today and I don't think it's got anything to do with the incident that happened at Rouge's party..."

Tikal felt her face heat up. Blaze was too smart. "I-I don't understand..."

"Don't you play dumb with me, Tikal," she teased lightly and gave her a small nudge, "Did something happen with Shadow?"

The echidna gulped and nervously rubbed her arms, her work mode completely disappearing as she became flustered. "We... We kissed."

"That's it? You guys just kissed?"

Tikal must've looked like a tomato now because trying to get out the next part proved to be a real task. "W-Well..."

"Well...?"

"W-We..."

"...You?"

She cleared her throat and awkwardly made gestures with her fingers smashing together.

Blaze snorted out a laugh and Tikal just helplessly watched her friend have her laughing fit. "Oh my god! You could've just said that you guys had sex instead of doing that!"

"B-Blaze, please!" Tikal hushed her frantically, scared if anyone behind the door was listening. _Heaven forbid if Shadow was there._

"All right, all right," Blaze wiped off some of her tears as she calmed down, "So how does it feel to have virginity lost by your own bodyguard?"

"You say it as if it's some crime, Blaze..." she muttered shyly and twiddled with her fingers, "We didn't do it out of lust... we did it because we really like each other."

"Oh, Shadow finally let his feelings out towards you then?" Blaze smiled, "Thank god, I was about to slap some sense into that man! Then what about Rouge? Anything happen with her?"

Tikal shook her head. "It was a complete misunderstanding. She came by with Knuckles yesterday and we had a talk."

"You haven't told Knuckles, have you? About you and Shadow?"

"N-No but I will soon. I don't want to keep this a secret from Uncle Richard and Knuckles. It'd be too much of a hassle."

"I'll support you if anything goes wrong," she put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure Rouge will make Knuckles understand one way or another if he isn't too happy about it. Plus, you're a grown woman now and can make your own decisions!"

Tikal nodded. "I can, yes. Thank you, Blaze."

"It's no problem. I just wish you and Shadow the best," Blaze gave her one last smile and stood up, "Come on, help us with the orders. I swear, I feel like I'm turning old already since my back is starting to kill."

"Are you all right?" Tikal stood up as well and stared at the cat with concern, "If you feel like you can't go on, you're more than welcome to go home and rest."

"Thank you but it's okay. I have a date with Silver tonight so I'd rather not miss it."

"Oh right," she smiled, "How are things going between you two? I'm not sensing any problems."

"Because we haven't had any yet," Blaze sighed with another smile, "Silver makes me so happy right now, Tikal. You have no idea. I feel like we're really gonna get somewhere in the future."

"That's so sweet," the echidna beamed, "I guess the whole childhood friends to lovers isn't such a fairy tail after all."

Blaze playfully rolled her eyes as a tint of red crept to her cheeks. "As cheesy as it is, you're definitely right about that. I feel like a princess finally in her prince's arms after crushing for so damn long."

"You sound like Amy," Tikal giggled out, "The same thing happened to her."

"Right? I never imagined to be in the same situation but now I definitely know how she feels, especially since she's getting married."

"Mm," she looked at her friend curiously, "Do you see yourself getting married in the future?"

"I would like to be, yes. If Silver and I go further down that line, it would be really nice," Blaze decided to throw the question onto her, "What about you? You seem like the marrying type, Tikal."

Tikal nodded and fiddled with her wrist watch. "Someday..."

"Miss Aldaine?"

A young purple echidna who looked no older than sixteen came through the door, wrapping her arm a younger yellow fox. "Emily isn't feeling well. I think she's really about to pass out."

"Oh dear," Tikal rushed up to them and slowly lead Emily down onto the leather couch, "Take it easy, Emily. Do you need some water?"

Emily nodded weakly as Tikal felt her temperature. "Y-Yes please..."

"I'll handle everything from here," Blaze said and gestured Sierra to come along with her, "Come on Sierra, I think James is flirting with those girls again instead of cleaning the dishes."

Sierra groaned and quickly stomped off. "That stupid asshole!"

"Thanks Blaze," Tikal said with a smile as she handed Emily a glass of water.

Blaze gave her a small thumbs up. "Anytime."

After taking care of Emily, Tikal called in a taxi to take the young fox home and reassured her to relax and take some time off work. Throughout the day, Tikal helped served the diner guests and made sure to overlook the chefs to see if they had any difficulty cooking a certain dish.

Once everyone left, Tikal rummaged through some files in her office before locking up the diner for the night.

"You look exhausted."

Tikal smiled tiredly as Shadow opened the car door for her. "Yeah, it's been a busy day."

She waited until Shadow got into the driver's seat and started the engine. "Have you eaten?" he asked.

"Sort of. I only managed to take half a bite of my sandwich before I had to deal with a customer who complained about their food."

"I saw," Shadow said wryly and began driving, "She stormed out before you could even figure out a solution for her."

The echidna shrugged. "It's all right. I didn't want the other guests to feel uncomfortable so I think it was best that she left."

"Mm."

Tikal noticed that they were not heading towards the direction to her penthouse. "Shadow? Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you out for dinner," he simply answered and glanced at her, "When was the last time you've eaten a dinner that wasn't your cooking or the diner's?"

She was slightly taken aback by the question. "Um," she faltered and tried to think but couldn't remember, "I don't know. I-I think it's really been a while since I've eaten out."

"Good. Now I have a reason to take you."

She blinked at him. "Is this a date?"

Shadow smirked as they stopped at a stop light. "Would you like it to be?"

Tikal being herself and feeling suddenly bashful by his forwardness, averted her eyes down to her outfit. "I-I'm not even dressed appropriate."

"And?" she felt his hand lift her chin up, "You're still beautiful either way."

She wanted melt right there and then. It was clear that Shadow was taking this relationship seriously, and she couldn't be anymore happier to see it was really starting to show that it was working.

"So?" Shadow's voice cut into her thoughts and she looked at him to see he was smiling at her, "A date?"

Tikal smiled excitedly and nodded. "A date!"

...

"Nervous?"

Tikal took a deep breath as Shadow helped her out of the car. "Kind of."

It was late into Friday evening. Tikal had closed her diner early so she could attend her uncle's get together party. While she would be more than happy to be at any of her uncle's parties, today she was nervous. Ideally, everyone would be bringing a date. Tikal had a date but nobody except Rouge would know that because Shadow was still known as her personal bodyguard to everyone else. She was scared of what people might think. Since Uncle Richard and Knuckles were there, some of the paparazzi or media outlets were probably going to surround outside the place. Her added appearance was just the icing on top.

What if her relationship with Shadow slipped up? They already knew about him. And she didn't want her only two family finding them out by those silly magazines where they constantly lie and make up stories.

She didn't want Shadow to get beaten up by the press for it. She didn't want to be labelled those atrocious names they like to target women to whenever they got involved with men and-

"Calm down."

Tikal didn't realise she was shaking until Shadow took a hold of her arms. She snapped her eyes at him, suddenly looking really scared and self aware. "S-Sorry, I'm just-"

"It's fine," Shadow told her calmly and pressed a kiss on her forehead, "Try not to overthink it."

"The press aren't the most friendly people, Shadow," Tikal whispered, her throat twisting into knots, "They say things that," her lips faltered as swallowed, "Th-That hurt..."

Shadow frowned. "Let them say what they want," he said, his voice serious, "You and I both know they're not true, right?"

"Right but..."

"Then there's nothing to worry about," he pushed back some of her dreads, "The media will always find something to say, no matter what it is. Just relax and take a deep breath for me."

Tikal did just as he said and felt a little better. "Thank you."

"No problem," Shadow nodded his head towards the back entrance, "Let's go."

She was going to follow the hedgehog but stopped him as she grabbed his hand. "W-Wait, Shadow."

He turned around. "Yes?"

Quickly making sure they were actually alone, she planted her hands onto his shoulders and leaned up on her toes to press her lips against his. She didn't want for it to be a long kiss because if she did, temptations would arise and going through the party would've been difficult, so she pulled away just before things could get heated.

"You're making it difficult for me not to throw you back into that car and rip off that dress of yours," he growled lowly but his tone was playful.

Tikal giggled and pecked his nose. "Sorry, I just needed to get that one in."

Shadow rolled his eyes and put on his sunglasses. They went through the gates and then inside the mansion. Many of the guests were outside talking and drinking their cocktails but it managed to be crowded inside the most. She stayed close to Shadow so she wouldn't lose him and then relaxed when the crowd died down further in. She almost forgot just how wealthy her uncle was to afford something as big as this mansion. It was twice the size of her own home!

"Shadow! Tikal!"

She saw Knuckles wave his hand over to them, a glass of wine in his hand. Rouge was beside him with a triumph look, secretly smirking at the both of them, more so at _her_ than Shadow.

"Hi," Tikal smiled, trying to weigh down the butterflies in her stomach when they made their way towards the two, "How are you guys doing?"

"Pretty good," Knuckles said and waved his glass in the direction of the other attendees, "Half of the people from NASDAQ are here since a bunch of enterprises from Asia were invited. A lot of schmoozing has been going on."

"Any luck?"

"Sort of. I'm just waiting for Sonic and Tails to get back to me."

"Can't you just forget about work and party for fun?" Rouge chimed in with a groan, "It's all you ever think about! Live a little!"

"You know, I did say that you didn't have to come with me if you didn't want to," her brother huffed but Tikal could see that his cheeks were tinting pink, "I only invited you because I thought that dress I bought you would be put into some good use."

Rouge flickered her eyelashes teasingly and leaned against Knuckles. _"And did it?"_

Things were already getting _hot._

Knuckles quickly leaned away from the bat and snapped his gaze onto something else. But it was already too late to hide his fluster, it was becoming way too obvious now.

_Come on, Knuckles. Can't you tell that that the both of you have feelings for each other?_ Tikal hid a laugh at the two before seeing Sonic stomping up to the group looking unimpressed.

"What's the matter?" Knuckles asked him.

"I'm tired of trying to convince Hamada Enterprises to join us instead of the Stock Exchange!" Sonic sighed and irritably ran a hand down his face, "The stupid moron couldn't give a damn about what I had to say and just flocked off to the next idiot he had to disappoint. He's such an ass!"

"What about Tails?"

"He managed to get Niyaga Enterprises and Yeoh Tech on board with some merger deal but ugh!" the blue hedgehog tapped his foot impatiently, "Stupid Hamada and his son of a-!"

"All right, I get it," Knuckles cut him off and sighed as he finished his drink, "You want me to go talk to him?"

"Please, be my guest!"

Knuckles shot an apologetic look at her. "Sorry Tikal, do you mind?"

Tikal shook her head. "Not at all! I know how important this is to you Knuckles."

"You're supposed to be asking me that, but oh well..." Rouge muttered underneath her breath.

Fortunately though, Knuckles heard her and laced their hands together without a word. Tikal saw that Rouge was surprised, the bat's eyes widening and shared a hopeful look with her as the two wondered off into the crowd with Sonic.

"Do you want to go get a drink?" Shadow asked from behind her.

She jumped a little and looked at him. He was so quiet throughout that small ordeal that she forgot he was even there. "O-Oh right," she nodded with a small smile, "Yeah I would like that."

They seated themselves at the bar table and Shadow ordered them two whiskeys.

"I hope Knuckles and Rouge finally confess to each other," Tikal said, watching with amusement as Knuckles was speaking to the CEO of Hamada Enterprises in a calmly manner but looked like he was itching an eye roll when Rouge kept butting in.

"If they don't, I'm going to get another migraine."

Tikal laughed and took a sip of her drink. "It'll be cute when they do."

"Yeah."

She raised an eye but saw that Shadow wasn't looking at her. "Is something wrong?"

He didn't reply. More so, he was glaring at something or..._ someone._ Tikal followed his glare and her eyes landed on a group of businessman who were looking at her up and down, sharing ludicrous comments with each other. When they finally noticed Shadow, they immediately cowered in fear and walked off with their heads down.

"Annoying bastards," Shadow growled and focused back onto his whiskey.

Tikal bit her lip before sighing quietly. "D-Don't worry about it. It isn't a big deal."

"It is since they can't seem to grasp that making disgusting remarks like those will lead them into trouble," he said with brisk and kissed his teeth as he looked away and put his sunglasses back on, "You're mine, Tikal. As stupidly possessive as that sounds, I'd rather not sit back and watch other men look at you as if you're going to become their fuck buddy."

It was rare to see Shadow get this worked up. Normally, he would give a little sardonic response and then drop it. But she guessed that now they were together, he was becoming a little more protective. Not that she was complaining though. For years she had been putting up with grubby comments like that. She could have easily ignored them and walked away like she did before. Tikal would never speak back or start a fight, that was way out of her nature. Still... it was nice to see Shadow standing up for her.

"Will you calm down about that guy? At least Tails and Knuckles managed to convince him!"

"Yeah, only because it _was_ Tails and Knuckles talking to him. Hamada should just flat out say he doesn't like me and then I'll stop wasting my time with that goon!"

Smiling, Tikal laughed as Sonic and Amy sat down on the stools opposite her and Shadow. "Hey guys."

Amy rolled her eyes at her fiancée before smiling back at Tikal. "Heya Tikal. Sorry about interrupting your conversation. Sonic here is being a _child._"

"I honestly don't have the energy to even bother arguing with you about that right now," Sonic huffed at Amy and crossed his arms.

"Good, because I wouldn't hear the end of it," the pink hedgehog shot back and sighed, shaking her whilst looking back at her, "So how are you, Tikal? I heard about what happened on the other day and I'm glad I don't see any marks."

"I'm fine, thank you," she nodded over to her acquaintance, "Shadow helped me to safety."

"Shadow?" Sonic repeated and paid his attention at the black hedgehog with recognition in his eyes, "Oh wow, it really is you. I almost didn't recognise ya!"

Shadow's response was the usual blunt remark. "I was hoping that you _wouldn't_ recognise me."

Sonic shot him a dry look. "Nice to know you haven't changed, _faker._"

"Don't start with me,_ faker._"

"You two know each other?" Tikal asked, already curious and amused by their interaction just now.

"Yup! Waaay back from our elementary school days!" Sonic replied with a smirk, "We always use to race each other to see who was the fastest."

"...And I won most of them."

"You did _not!_ The swimming parts don't count!"

Shadow let out a tsk and rolled his eyes. "Yeah right."

"Anyway," Amy swiftly cut into their mini argument before things could get out of hand before nodding over to Shadow, "It's nice to meet you, Shadow! Thanks for protecting Tikal back there."

"Likewise," Shadow nodded back and noticed both the rings on the couple's fingers, "And congratulations."

"Thank you!"

"That had to be the most _driest_ congratulations we've ever received," the blue hedgehog groaned and looked over to Tikal, "Seriously Tikal, how'd you get with this grump? You two are like the total polar opposites!"

Tikal blushed and scratched the side of her face with her finger. "W-Well uh..." she sent a quick hesitant glance Shadow's way, but he remained passive and didn't even look at her. Probably to avoid suspicion. She cleared her throat quietly. "Shadow's my bodyguard."

Sonic and Amy blinked, casting their eyes at Shadow before they went back and forth between them. The echidna bit her lip anxiously. They were onto something and she shouldn't have been surprised. With how close she was sitting next to Shadow, some might have thought she needed to so she could stay safe. But the excuse didn't seem to get passed by many..._ most eyes_, including the engaged couple's in front of her.

It suddenly dawned on her that maybe telling Uncle Richard soon- _now_, was the perfect time. Hiding something like this, when it was so blatantly obvious to the naked eye that there was an attraction going on between Shadow and herself... it wasn't going to be kept under wraps forever. She knew that for sure.

"Oh..." Sonic scratched the back of his head awkwardly, but the confusion was still lit in his tone, "Sorry, Tik. I didn't mean to pry!"

"Th-That's okay..."

Amy was still quiet and locked her gaze onto Tikal. Nothing ever escaped the pink hedgehog's eyes when it came to things like this. The echidna fidgeted a little and played with the hem of her dress. She then saw her smile, sending Tikal a silent and hopeful knowing expression, a light giggle escaping her lips afterwards.

"What's so funny, Ames?" Sonic asked.

"Oh nothing," Amy shook her head and reverted her attention back to the blue hedgehog as she tugged on his arm, "You look hungry. Come on, let's go to the food buffet. I wanna try out those chicken strips!"

"But we just got here," he complained but sighed when Amy pulled him up, "All right fine. I _did_ wanna try out those chili dogs anyway," Sonic grinned at both her and Shadow, "Sorry for leaving you with Shadow, Tikal. You guys have fun!"

Shadow scoffed quietly as Tikal watched them go with a smile. She took regard of the couple's intertwined hands whilst they walked off. They were truly happy with each other without any stress about what people may have thought about their relationship. She knew Sonic was well known in regards to what he did back in school and what he was doing now. There were comments made about them, most of them directed towards Amy, but Tikal admired the fact that they didn't care what people thought and continued thriving.

She glanced at Shadow. _She wanted the same thing._

"We should go find my uncle," she said before she could stop herself, which caught Shadow's immediate attention, "I want to tell him."

Shadow said nothing for a moment, probably looking to see if she was really serious about it. He set his glass down after taking one last sip of his drink. "Are you sure?"

"Y-Yes," the echidna watched him fix his tie, "He's going to be leaving for Florida tomorrow and won't be back until next month. I think now's the best time."

They gave another moment of silence to pass between them, just looking at each other. Shadow gave her a small smile as they stood up together and made their way to find her uncle.

...

"Uncle Richard?" Tikal poked her out from her uncle's office door and was relieved to see he was sitting at his desk. They couldn't find him anywhere among the guests, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be hosting the party?"

Richard looked up from his computer. "Oh Tikal!" he shook his head and took off his reading glasses, "Sorry dear, I had to catch up on some business with the trading."

"I think you should really get some sleep instead," Tikal said with a laugh as she heard Shadow close the door behind them. She walked over to the chair opposite his desk and sat down, "You have to catch your flight at six in the morning. At least rest for a little bit."

"I know but don't worry about me, honey," her uncle waved off gently, "Once I get this done, I'll have plenty of enough time to sleep on the plane."

She smiled. "And plenty of food to eat."

Richard chuckled. "Yes and that too," he looked at her and noticed she was fidgeting, "Is something the matter, Tikal? You look anxious."

"Huh?" Tikal quickly shot her head up and inwardly berated herself for sounding like she was in a panic in front of him, "N-No! Nothing's the matter..."

Her uncle raised an eye. "Are you sure? Did some of the food upset your stomach? You're holding it awfully tight. I might have to speak to the chefs about-"

"I-It wasn't the food," she said but managed to smile a little at her uncle's worry, "...There's just a lot of people there."

"Ah," Richard understood then, even though that wasn't the reason, "I suppose there is. Were you not able to find Knuckles?"

"I did... but he was busy with a merger deal with his co-workers so I didn't want to get in the way of that."

"Is that boy still working? Good Lord, I told him to relax and not chase those stingy entrepreneurs."

She let out light giggle. "It's hard for Knuckles to not think about work."

"I guess it is," the older echidna hummed and smiled at her again. "All right. You're more than welcome to stay here then," he gestured her over to the snack bar, "Grab something to eat if you want."

Tikal nodded as her uncle drifted his attention back onto his computer. Her knee started to bop and quickened in pace when her heart began beating rapidly.

She could do this._ She could do this._

She chew on her bottom lip before stammering, "A-Actually, Uncle Richard?"

Richard stopped typing and looked at her. "Yes?"

Tikal swallowed harshly. "I... I need to tell you something."

"Of course. What is it?"

The echidna breathed in. "P-Promise you won't get angry?"

He was confused then. "Angry? Why would I get angry?"

Tikal steadily pushed herself up from the chair. "I-I wanted to- uh—" She sighed as she looked at him, "Please be okay with this," she said then turned around to Shadow, who was waiting beside the door. She grabbed his hand and walked towards her uncle as their hands intertwined tightly.

"Shadow?" Richard was surprised and stood up before he looked back at her, "Tikal, what's going on?"

"Sh-Shadow and I... have been _seeing_ each other lately," Tikal said slowly.

"Seeing each other? I don't understand," her uncle said but with how he was looking at the both of them, he knew what _exactly_ she was talking about.

Before she could say anything else, Shadow took off his sunglasses and spoke for her. "She means we've been investing out on a relationship with each other," he looked at the older man closely, "And I would like to be with her."

While she was still coming to terms with her uncle's reaction, Tikal's eyes widened and her cheeks felt hot at the hedgehog's bold statement. He was so calm about it and there was no hint of a stutter or error in his words. It made her smile. _Really smile._

Uncle Richard was amused to say the least. And when he caught her smiling, he asked her, "Since when?"

"Since... a couple of days ago. We were still figuring things out between us before then."

"Before then?"

Tikal casted her eyes to the side and swayed her head. "It was a little complicated."

The older echidna walked around the table and then leaned against his hands in his pockets as he studied them. He was oddly calm about it. "Is that right, Shadow?"

Shadow nodded. "It was one of the reasons why I agreed on working for you," he squeezed Tikal's hand, "I wanted to get to know Tikal to have a proper reason to be with her."

"You knew of Tikal before?"

Shadow sounded a little embarrassed to admit it. "...Yes."

Richard didn't look the slightest bit angry. If anything, he still looked like he was figuring something out as he continued watching the both of them. "And you two are completely sure about this?"

They looked at each other for a moment before nodding at him.

The older echidna was silent and Tikal became worried, not knowing that she was openly showcasing her fear. It was when her uncle sent her reassuring smile that her nerves finally calmed down, and she stopped gripping onto Shadow's hand.

"Why don't you let me speak with Shadow, Tikal?" Richard requested.

She panicked. "W-What? But-"

"Don't worry, honey," he said and laughed, "I think I know better than to punch someone physically stronger than me."

Tikal blushed and glanced up at Shadow. The hedgehog nodded at her, a small smile coming up to his lips as she slowly nodded, letting him go and exited her uncle's office.

...

Shadow was never usually scared of anything.

But right now, he was scared _shitless._

Richard Aldaine was known to be a nice man. But the nicest people were always the most scariest people when they lose their temper. The hedgehog had to place himself in the old man's shoes for a minute. How would he react if his own niece were to be involved with her bodyguard? Angry? Disappointed? None of it was Tikal's fault really as it was his. Shadow couldn't keep his own interest with the female echidna in check. Why else did he make sure to keep his top status in the Franklin Street area? Why else would he reject so many applications for other clients so he could have the chance to get Tikal instead?

Richard must've noticed how ridiculous he looked because he laughed just then. "I don't have any sort of resentment towards you, Shadow. I shouldn't be surprised in the first place. When we had our first meeting, there was always this... _special look_ you held when I mentioned Tikal."

Shadow nodded. "She's always caught my eye, sir. And I know I have broken a lot of rules and I want to take full responsibility of them."

"That's admirable, Shadow," he smiled, "You probably already know that Tikal didn't have the best childhood growing up. Her father would never let her go out and her mother was just too sick to help. She couldn't open her eyes to see the real world until I took her and Knuckles in after the both of them died."

"I know..." he trailed off, "That's something I want to make her feel more comfortable about."

"I see," Richard's smile widened, "Tikal is an adult- and I know she is free to date who ever she likes. Frankly, I'm glad that the both of you had come to talk to me. I don't have any children of my own and I see Tikal as my daughter. It's always been important to me that she's happy with someone good for her and I do think you are good for her, Shadow."

Relief went through his body. "Thank you, sir."

"I should be thanking you. You saved her life last week and have been protecting her from any sort of harm she'd been dealing within for the past few years. If it wasn't for you, I don't think I would letting her live by herself. I would be worrying constantly," he looked at him, "How serious are you about this?"

Shadow's stare hardened, his patience now wearing thin. "Richard, I'm not bullshitting with you here. I-"

"You just want to be with her, I get it," Richard chuckled, "But you do realise you cannot continue to be her bodyguard, right?"

"...I'm aware, yes."

The echidna studied him. "Tell me, Shadow. When I was reading your references on your profile, it said you weren't able to finish your degree in medical school. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Because of unforeseen circumstances, yes?"

"Yes..."

"Why don't you go finish that degree?"

Shadow didn't say anything. He wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly. "Pardon?"

"You've been wanting to become a doctor, no?" Richard adjusted his reading glasses, "I would rather not see you not achieve that. You've worked hard for it and I think you're in a good position to continue on with it. It'd be a shame to see it all go to waste, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes but," he faltered, "But what about-"

"If you're worried about Tikal, then don't be," Richard assured, "I'll hire someone else to watch her. But I'm assuming you'd be put off by that so I'm asking, do you know anyone who would be appropriate?"

Shadow was still in the gist of processing what his boss had offered. When his question finally went through to him, he thought for a second and then... _reluctantly_ nodded. "I do."

His boss became amused. "You seem unenthusiastic by the idea of her having someone else."

"If you want me to be honest, I am."

"Then would it help if the bodyguard were to be a female?" he suggested, "I'm sure that would ultimately ease your worrying and Tikal wouldn't have a problem bonding with her at all."

A few did come to mind. "I wouldn't have a problem with that."

"Fantastic," Richard nodded, "I leave tomorrow so I'm going to leave that to your own hands since I trust you, Shadow. Make sure you let Scott know."

"Of course."

"Do you need me to promote you for the degree? You'll be guaranteed to get into the school you want."

"It's okay," Shadow shook his head, "I'd rather not waste your time."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" Richard waved off and sat back down onto his chair, "Sitting here alone to work like this had me bored to tears. I'd rather put it to better use such as helping a fella out. What do you say?"

The hedgehog hesitated for a moment but decided to comply, showing his gratitude immediately. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem, Shadow. Now, you go on and tell Tikal about what we've just discussed. I think she's worried enough as it is."

"All right."

When Shadow turned to leave, Richard's voice stopped him. "And Shadow?"

"Yes?"

Richard smiled at him again. "Look after her, okay?"

He nodded. "Thanks, Richard. I will."

...

"You and Shadow are...?"

Tikal blushed and nodded. "Y-Yes..."

While she left Shadow to talk to her uncle, she ran into Knuckles on the way who was going to see him anyway. After fighting with herself about it, she figured she'd sit down with him inside one of guest rooms and just tell him. It was one thing keep this a secret from Uncle Richard, but an entirely different thing to keep it from her own brother.

She was nervous. She couldn't quite make out Knuckles's reaction right now. He looked... bewildered. Shocked? Angry? No, he definitely didn't look angry. He looked tired. She could see the weariness in his eyes, he must've been dealing with the traders in the party and she couldn't help but think that he hadn't even sat down to rest his legs out.

Knuckles rubbed his eyes before giving her a stern look. "He didn't force you, did he?"

"No," Tikal shook her head, "We really do like each other."

He studied her once more, his purple eyes locking onto her blue ones. "No wonder Rouge couldn't stop talking about you two," he let out a sigh through his nostrils, "Well, even though you're my little sister, I don't have the right to tell you about who to date or who not to date."

She smiled. "You're not mad?"

"He's been protecting you all this time. I don't think I've got the right to be... _to an extent_," Knuckles put his hand onto her shoulder, "Is that why you guys were at Uncle Rich's office? So you could tell him too?"

"Yeah," Tikal said, "He wasn't angry at us either. He looked as if he expected it to happen."

He groaned, shaking his head. "Why am I not surprised..."

"I'm sorry for keeping this from you, Knuckles. I-I didn't mean to at all! It's just I was scared of your reaction and I didn't want Shadow to get into trouble for it as well. I know it was inappropriate but..." Tikal lightly shrugged a shoulder, "Y-Yeah..."

"If you're happy with Shadow then you're happy with Shadow. Honestly, I don't think you could've done better. He's risked everything just to keep you safe, Tikal. Isn't that what women fall in love with nowadays? I dunno. I don't keep track of that mumbo jumbo!"

She kept smiling as Knuckles went on a small ramble. She was in joy. The feeling of relief washed through her body and the tension completely broke away. Keeping a secret like this wasn't easy and just knowing that her family was okay with this... it made her feel _happy_ that they trusted her.

It made her think where else she would go with Shadow. They could go on as many dates as they wanted. Perhaps travel the world together! And possibly get marr-

Okay. _She was going too far there._

But she would _want_ that to happen someday...

She sighed inwardly. Maybe Scott's comments about her naivety were true... she had such a_ child-like_ mind.

"Shadow better treat you well, Tikal," Knuckles's voice interjected thoughts as she saw him balling his hands into fists, "He may be perfect in eyes right now... but you never know when they decide to strike onto someone else."

"I assure you that won't happen."

The both of them turned their heads to see Shadow standing in the doorway, hands pocketed as he looked at them.

Knuckles stood up. "I'm just looking out for my sister here, Shadow," he stalked over to him, almost dauntingly, his voice not wavering the slightest, "I don't know your history with women, but if you break Tikal's heart then I-"

"None of that will happen, Knuckles," Shadow swiftly cut him off, his eyes softening, "I promise."

"How can I be so sure?" Knuckles wasn't giving up that easily, "You won't just get bored of her after a few months, will you?"

"I won't be," the hedgehog reassured again and flickered his gaze over to her, his voice going low for a second, "I won't treat her any other way."

An unspoken stare was shared between her and Shadow. Tikal smiled through her blush, his expression telling her everything she needed to know.

"Ugh. Can it, will you Knuckles?" Rouge chimed in as she also entered the room, "This is where you've been?"

"I couldn't find you!"

"I think you I mean that I couldn't find you. You just wandered off somewhere without telling me!" Rouge groaned, letting out a tired sigh before she crossed her arms, "And stop interrogating Shadow. God, you're so bad at it!"

Knuckles huffed and looked away, mumbling a, "I don't care if I am. I just wanna be there for my sister..."

The bat rolled her eyes. "That's sweet and all but I_ know_ Shadow. And he would never leave Tikal just like that. You must be crazy if he did, after all he did for her."

"Yeah," Knuckles said dryly, completely missing the point, "You _know_ Shadow all right..."

_"Oh?"_ And of course Rouge was amused as she leaned into him with a smirk, "Jealous, are we?"

A blush rushed Knuckles's cheeks. "No, I'm not!" he scoffed and grabbed Rouge's hand, stomping off out the room, "We'll talk later, Shadow!"

Rouge let him pull her along but looked back at the couple, smirking and then giving them a wink to showcase her good luck.

Shadow closed the door after they went. "He took that pretty well."

"It's all right," Tikal laughed, "He's trying to be a protective brother. Other than that, he's okay with it."

"Probably okay with punching me in the face when he can," he joked and sat down beside her, "Are you okay?"

"Mhm. I feel like a lot of weight has gone off from my shoulders."

"Yeah. Same," Shadow stared at the wall in front of them, his lips thinning as he said, "Your uncle wants me to go back to medical school so I can finish off my degree."

Her eyes widened. "W-What?"

He nodded. "I would like to go back as well. I thought I wouldn't have found the time to but... he's gave me a choice and I accepted it," he gazed back at her and took her hand in his, "But I want your approval too."

"Shadow, I'm not about to say no to something you've been wanting to do," Tikal said before biting her lip, her voice wavering a little, "B-But... that means you won't be my bodyguard anymore, right?"

"Right."

"Then who-"

"I'm finding someone else for you," Shadow said and chuckled when seeing the worry in her eyes, "I know someone from my agency. Her name is Wave. She'll be replacing me."

"...Oh."

"You'll get along with her. She's not one of those-"

"No," Tikal smiled, shaking her head, "I'm not worried about that. I'm more worried about you, Shadow," she squeezed their hands together, "Y-You stopped going there because of... _Eva_," she felt him still, "I'm just asking if you're going to be all right with it."

"I'll be fine," Shadow replied with a slight brisk but remained blunt all together, "I won't be going to the same one anyway. It's the NYU medical school not Touro."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"That means you'll be working hard again," she leaned against arm, "I'm gonna make sure to come by and give you your food. I don't think I can trust you just yet to not miss lunch."

"Yeah," he left a kiss on her forehead, "I'll try to so I don't waste your time though."

"Oh you won't be! It gives me an excuse to see you at least."

"I'm not talking about you coming out from the diner on your breaks just to see me," he stated, causing her to lean back confusedly, "I'm talking about when you finally become one of the lead architects in this city."

Tikal couldn't find her voice for a second. When she did, it was almost inaudible. "I-I can't leave my mother's diner, Shadow-"

"Yes. You can," he pressured her gently, "It'll still be your mother's diner. It'll still be there. It's not going anywhere, Tikal. Just give the responsibility of it to someone who you trust and can handle it."

"But..."

She tried to come up with something, however the words quickly died down her throat. Rubbing her temple, Tikal gazed down at her feet in deep thought.

Give the responsibility of her mother's diner to someone else... _someone else._

Someone who knew the diner in and out and was able to handle busy hours.

Someone she could completely_ trust._

Tikal looked up at Shadow. "Blaze?"

Shadow seemed satisfied by her answer and nodded. "Didn't you say she was from a school that specialised in business and management? She would be perfect for the job."

"I'll ask her," Tikal meekly hunched her shoulder, "I don't want to catch her by surprise for throwing something onto her like this."

"So you'll do it? I've seen the letters come by your door, Tikal. They really want you to work for them."

She swayed her head from side to side. "I-I'll think about it. It will probably take some time to try and find the right people to help me with it."

"Yeah, it will. I'm happy you're at least considering."

Tikal noted his tone when he looked away from her. "Shadow... Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, I'm-" Shadow cleared his throat, his jaw clenching as he answered quickly, "I'm fine."

She gave his arm a gentle squeeze, knowing exactly what was on his mind. "I think she's happy for you right now, Shadow."

He snapped his eyes at her, his orbs widening. "What?"

"Eva," the echidna answered calmly, "I know you're still blaming yourself but... don't, okay? I'm sure she's happy seeing you moving forward."

Shadow held his gaze on her before it progressively became vulnerable as he let out a shaky sigh. He swept his quivering hands over his quills and closed his eyes. "Yeah," he nodded and open them again, "You're right."

"Don't think too much."

"I know."

Smiling, Tikal rubbed his back and kissed his cheek. "Come on, let's eat something from the buffet and go home."


	5. Chapter 5

"Do you mind if we stop here?" Tikal asked. Shadow nodded and pulled over to a parking space. Without waiting, she hopped off the car and shut the door as she stared at the graveyard ahead of them. Taking tentative steps inside, Tikal made sure Shadow was behind her before she went off to find a certain grave.

She felt bad. It had been a while since since she was here because she'd been so busy. She felt heavier when her feet slowed down as she stopped at a grave stone that was much further down than the rest. Hidden, so it had its own privacy.

Tikal knelt down and ran her fingers down the engraved letters solemnly.

_Elena Marinne Aldaine. 1977-2010. A loving wife, mother and daughter. May she rest in peace._

It was sculptured into the shape of an angel with an arm draped over the placard of the writing. The granite headstone next to it was for more spartan and plain in both appearance and embellishment simply reading: _George Michael Aldaine. 1971-2014_.

For a long time Tikal was silent, staring wistfully at the letters both on her parents' headstones.

"Did you hate him?"

She started, glancing back at Shadow who stood a few feet away from her parent's grave, hands slid into the pockets of his suit pants as he watched her pensively.

Tikal swallowed and turned back at the graves, her voice small, "No."

Another moment of silence came between them. When she could find her voice again, she breathed in steadily. "I don't have any hate in my heart. My dad... didn't really know how to act like a father even before mom died. It still didn't excuse for what he said or did but... my mother's death really affected him for the worst," she rested in chin against her knees, "She always told him to act better with us, with her as well. I felt like my mother was always in denial about him and I never really believed they were in love. It was until she had no way of surviving the cancer that I did see that they were."

She quickly wiped off the unwanted tears rolling down her cheeks. "I-I don't know. I just wish my dad hadn't been so reckless after she died and got some help. Then maybe I would've built a proper relationship with him and help him cope better. Uncle Richard did everything he could to get him out of trouble, but he was so stubborn and refused to get any help from his own brother."

"That sounded like her as well."

She blinked, turning her head around again to Shadow. "What?"

He gestured her to follow him. "Come."

Tikal took one last look at her parents' grave before trailing after Shadow. Her walking slowed when he knelt down at a smaller grave, the headstone planted in a separate corner and slightly away from the rest.

_It was Eva's._

"I know you heard most of the story from Rouge but that was her perspective," Shadow said, "I wasn't making any time for Eva. I was too focused on getting this medical career whilst landing a job at the G.U.N. I kept telling her I would make time for us over and over again but they just became excuses to her at that point. I almost didn't blame her for getting it on with another person. I was so fucking pathetic in making myself believe it would work between us."

She watched as he reached out towards the headstone to touch the engraved lettering when he continued, "The guy she ended up with after we broke up... his name was Dave," the hedgehog seethed out but remained calm, "He was part of a drug dealing gang located in the Bronx and they cashed in a lot of drugs frequently. She moved in with him and he got her addicted to the drugs they kept collecting. When I saw her one day walking alone in the streets, I almost didn't recognise her. She looked like a completely different person and she was so skinny and malnourished. I wanted to help her but she screamed and bolted the moment I thought about calling the police."

A long sigh. "I should've. I should've tried to find the location of where she was staying and just raid the entire apartment with my team. But I didn't. I didn't want more of a reason to hate me than she did at the time. So instead, we kept calling each other and meeting up in secret so I could talk to her and beg her to get help. No matter how many times I tried, she just wouldn't cooperate and we stopped talking completely then and just cut each other off," the muscles against Shadow's jaw began clenching, "Then I got the voice message from her a couple of months later, hearing her dying inside a burning car and I just... I didn't know what to do when the line went quiet and I couldn't hear her anymore."

He shook his head, a dry chuckle escaping past his lips. "Of course that bastard Dave ran with his yes men. It didn't take long to lock them up and interrogate the hell out of them after. He was a fucking coward and didn't give a damn about anybody because he was too high on meth to actually give a shit," the hedgehog leaned his head back, "When Eva's funeral day came, I couldn't feel anything. I wanted to but I was too busy in self pity and blame for everything that happened and ran my high tail out to the military so I could forget."

Shadow sucked in a breath before he looked at her. "If there's anything I want in my life, it's for something like that to never happen again," he grabbed her hands and pressed his lips against her knuckles and fingers, "I want to make it right this time, and not lose someone because of my own stupidity of not doing anything."

"Shadow," Tikal found it hard to say anything when he just spilled out everything to her. She pressed her lips together thoughtfully before speaking, "If there's anything I want in my life, is for you not to blame yourself. If you need help... if you need anything that'll help you overcome this, then please get it. I'm not letting you take off back to school when you're like this. I'll pay for everything, I'll-"

"It's pathetic, isn't it?" he said instead, making the echidna stop, "I bet when you first saw me, you were expecting some high and mighty bodyguard who just didn't mess around and just did his job. But no, you ended up with someone who's a broken piece of shit and can't let go of the past."

"Stop," Tikal put her arms around him as she quivered at his words, squeezing him whilst laying her head onto his shoulder, "Just stop, Shadow."

He was quiet. She felt him shake as he gingerly embraced her back, his breathing becoming ragged. It only made her hug him tighter, stroking his back and quills. Her cheeks were still stained wet and her eyelids were reddened but she remained steady, comforting the hedgehog as much as she could.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she whispered into his ear, "I'm happy you told me how you really felt. That's more than enough for me."

"You don't have to be with me, Tikal," he suddenly told her as he pulled away, "I'm not forcing you to do anything. I don't want to make you think I'm not making time for you, god forbid if that ever happens again then I-"

She smiled a little. "You're rambling."

Shadow frowned. "I don't ramble."

"There'll be times where we're going to be busy but..." Tikal gently bumped her nose against his, "That doesn't mean we won't have any time for each other," she let out a pleasant sigh, "Shadow... I want to be with you. I have no doubt in my mind that I really want to be with you. I-I know that sounds naive of me because you're my first but... it's the truth. I'm still inexperienced but I want to learn with you so we can go down a path we're both happy with."

"...Do you really mean that?" Shadow's eyes half lidded themselves, his throat tightening as he let out a tight chuckle, "Do you really want to spend time with this grump?"

She laughed and leaned in so that their foreheads touched. "Yes. I want to spend time with the most handsomest grump I've ever met, a grump who's protected me and saved my life even if it meant putting his own at risk. If there was ever anything I wanted from a man, it's trust. And I_ trust_ you, Shadow."

He searched her eyes for a longing moment before she saw a small smile forming on his lips. "I don't want you to feel inferior to me, Tikal."

Tikal shrugged. "I'll try not to."

Shadow sent her a small glare. "I'm serious."

Blushing sheepishly this time, she nodded. "A-All right."

The hedgehog broke his stern visage and left another kiss on her head before helping her stand up. He took one last look at the headstone and then at her. Tikal nodded silently and paid her last respects to Eva and her parents as they headed back into the car.

...

When they got back into the penthouse, Tikal set her things down onto the stool and took off her heels and jacket. She saw Shadow walking along into the living room and followed him, watching as he discarded his blazer coat and began loosening his tie.

"Let me," Tikal said and smiled when he did let her take it off for him. Slowly but surely, her fingers then played around with the buttons of his shirt, taking them off one by one. When she looked up, his eyes were tired but they were dead set on her the entire time, "Do... Do you want to take a shower with me?"

She felt his hand trailing up at the back of her dress, fiddling with the straps from her shoulder. His other hand went underneath and she held her breath, shivering at his warm touch against the coldness of her skin. A smirk crept up his lips before she was swept off her feet. Tikal laughed as he carried upstairs and they undressed themselves to get into the shower room.

A lot of kissing and touching was involved, not that they could help it. It wasn't hesitant and cautious like last time. They were more relaxed about it knowing that they didn't have to worry anymore.

They slid into the bed together after they had brushed their teeth and got dressed.

"Shadow?"

"Hm?"

"I know someone that could give you free therapy sessions at any given time. Would you like to take them as you're finishing your training? I think it'll help you out a whole lot."

"Thanks, but I don't think I'll need it."

Tikal rolled onto her stomach and frowned at him. "Why not?"

"It's fine, Tikal. You don't need to worry about me. I just need to finish one more year and I'll be good."

"A year is still a long time, Shadow. And I'm not saying for that year alone either. I'm talking about for longer than that until you feel like you're completely okay."

Shadow didn't say anything except letting out a sigh through his nostrils.

_"Please?"_ Tikal pleaded and reached out towards his bicep, _"For me?"_

A small grunt. "All right."

She smiled and laid on her on backside, idly staring up at the ceiling. "When's your birthday, Shadow?"

"Why?"

"Mmm, just asking..."

"October 15th."

"Oh, it's not too far off. Should we have a party?"

"...I'm not really into parties."

"Have you ever had one?"

"What's with these questions all of a sudden?"

"Sorry," Tikal giggled, wrapping an arm around over his waist, "...But have you?"

"No."

"Oh, then we should definitely do something on the day! It doesn't have to be a big one... we can just invite Rouge, Knuckles and the others."

"I don't know," Shadow remained blunt about it, "I'd much rather have a quiet birthday. You may not go overboard with the party but I _know_ Rouge will."

"Maybe you're right..." Tikal trailed off, casting her gaze to the side as she pressed her lips together thoughtfully, "Then do you want it to be just us? Have a small dinner together and watch movies? I-I can make a cake too!"

He chuckled. "You don't have to, really. I'm fine with just spending the day with you."

Tikal blushed a little but still tried to persuade him into having at least a cake. "Chocolate? Vanilla? Or both?"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "None. Strawberry is fine."

"That would taste really nice."

"Yeah."

The silence was nice afterwards. Tikal stared at Shadow, watching his chest rise and fall as he appeared to be in thought. She didn't question him though and just waited until he said something or began falling asleep. However, after a few more minutes had passed, ten to be exact, he was still wide awake and didn't show any signs of sleeping yet.

After another second of contemplation, she bit her lip and shifted a little as she gently placed her hand against the side of his face. Shadow flickered his gaze over to her as she did so, his eyes searing into her blue ones. Tikal suddenly became stuck and flustered, not knowing how to say what she really wanted.

Shadow just smirked and swiftly rolled over so he was on top of her. He knew exactly what she needed right now. "We just showered."

She knew that of course but... she still _wanted_ him. And it seemed that he wanted the same because she felt his hand running up her thigh, his fingers pulling on her underwear.

Tikal smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down so that their lips connected into a heated kiss. There wasn't any holding back and she acknowledged that when she felt Shadow stiffening underneath her dress. She bit back a gasp as they pulled away, closing her eyes when their clothes discarded themselves.

Fingers spread, her hands roamed and grasped at his arms and back as he trailed his lips over the crevice of her neck, the curves of her breasts, the flat surface of her belly and hips.

She loved how he was still so gentle. As much as she knew he wanted to hasten things up and completely ravish her, Shadow was still being considerate of her inexperience. He'd look at her for permission, look at her if what he was doing was all right for her. She found it to be _so sweet._

She was still shy and insecure about it. Granted, it was only their second time having sex after all. She felt embarrassed at times and would cover up her chest with her arms, but Shadow didn't want any of that and pinned them above her head, kissing her and then slowly inserting himself inside.

It still hurt but not as much as the first time. Shadow was slow and let out a few low grunts inside the crook of her neck. The pain quickly subsided and became pleasure. Tikal felt herself tighten, whispering Shadow's name into his ear which only prompted him to go deeper and quicker. She escaped his grasp and let her fingers comb into his hair, hugging him closer as she squeezed her thighs around him.

As she climaxed, Tikal clenched beneath him and let out a single high-pitched moan for several spellbinding seconds. She felt him wait until he also let himself go with a groan of sheer, relieved pleasure.

They lay side by side for a while, catching their breaths. Tikal saw Shadow slipping into a very contented sleep. Before he could, she left one last soft kiss onto his lips. He opened his eyes in small slits, smiling at her before closing them again, his soft breathing following after.

Smiling again, she snuggled up against him and also slipped into a deep sleep, the deepest sleep she couldn't remember having for a very long time.

...

_Three years later_

Tikal poked her head into the clinic room and saw Shadow sitting at his desk, his white coat and glasses on as he worked in front of his computer. When he noticed her come in, Tikal kindly thanked Wave as her bodyguard closed the door behind her.

"Hi," she said, smiling over to the hedgehog, "How's work?"

"Not too bad," Shadow took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, "Patients have been coming in and out. Nothing more than the ordinary."

Tikal nodded and took out a container from her bag, placing it onto his desk. "I brought you some lunch. I don't think that banana and coffee has been keeping you energised."

"Thanks," he chuckled lowly, "What about you? How's your work going?"

"Good!" she beamed and clapped her hands excitedly, "We're building a huge homeless shelter over at Manhattan. It's going to be eco-friendly too! I can't wait for you to see how I designed it!"

Shadow smiled at her. "Judging by the late nights you've been putting on it, I can't say I'm not surprised that it's in the works already. That stack of blue prints is getting taller."

"Yeah, I really need to make room for a bigger office at home..."

"Hmm, don't go overboard with it. You've bringing those blue prints into our bedroom. Quite frankly, I don't think I want to see another one for a while," he smirked wryly and then asked, "How's Wave?"

"She's been really good! We just went to do some clothes and candle shopping at the mall."

"Oh right, if there's one thing the two of you are obsessed with then it's obviously those Yankee candles."

"Mmm," she shrugged with a laugh, "I'm just happy I found someone who I can share my obsession with!"

"I'm sure you are."

She giggled, leaning against the window sill and decided to change the topic. "Sonic and Amy were at the diner with their kids this morning. They were so cute! Silver and Blaze kept spoiling them with a bunch of toys they got for them from their holiday."

"I'm still in the midst of trying to believe that the faker is a_ father_."

"Oh, stop it! You know that Sonic's a really good dad!"

Shadow rolled his eyes before taking a sip of his coffee. "I shouldn't be surprised. Amy must've forced 'how to be a good father' lessons on him because there's no way he could've learned it on his own."

Tikal just shook her head. "Then you aren't surprised about Knuckles and Rouge's engagement?"

"I'm relieved. Rouge called me an hour ago and screamed in my god damn ear about it."

"Are you happy for her?"

"Yes. I'm happy Knuckles finally had the balls to ask her. It's about time, don't you think?"

"I do, I'm glad he's finally settling down. Uncle Richard has been saying the same thing," Tikal said happily before a moment of silence comfortably settled between them.

She smiled when Shadow started eating his lunch before turning her head to the window, seeing the birds flying around the clear weather in the city. Shadow's office had a really beautiful view. His floor wasn't too high up in the building so it was nice to see people walking by with their friends and families.

Her look softened when she saw a couple pushing a buggy along the sidewalk. And then another couple who had their children around each of their waists and walked with them to the nearby park. Tikal glanced down at her wedding ring and then further down somewhere else. With something bubbling up inside of her, she looked back at Shadow who paused in drinking his water when he noticed her walking up to him.

He eyed her pensively, making her hesitate for a moment as she stopped. Nibbling on her bottom lip, she smiled and slowly ran her hand down until it lay on her stomach.

She watched as Shadow stilled in his seat, his eyes widening when he realised what she meant. "You're..." Shadow, with utmost caution and almost disbelief, looked back up at her,_ "...You're pregnant?"_

Tikal nodded. "I'm about a month in," she said before smiling once more, her words in some tremor, "I-I didn't know how to tell you..."

Shadow stared back down at her stomach and just sat there, _still._

She began becoming worried at his reaction. Did he not want the baby? Was that it? Was it too early for them? They were both financially stable and-

Her thoughts vanished when she saw him quickly getting up from his seat, walking around his desk and putting his arms around her. Tikal was taken off guard and froze in his grip. However eventually, her gaze softened, her lips curling as she gradually let her arms slacken and hugged him back.

When Shadow pulled away, she thought she could see the faint sheen in his eyes when he knelt down to press his palm and ear onto her stomach.

"I don't think you'll be able to hear anything yet," she said and placed her hand on the back of his head but Shadow didn't move.

"I know," he said in a hushed tone, and she could see the genuine smile and excitement on his face when he gazed up at her, "I'm just..."

He trailed off then when he stood up, hands around her waist and pulled her in tightly again. She tried, but miserably failed, to keep her tears at bay when she could hear his very faint sobs sounding on her shoulder.

"You're going to be a great father, Shadow," Tikal murmured into his ear and kissed his temple.

Shadow leaned back, wiping off the small leak of tears from his eyes. "You really think so?"

"I know so," she pecked his lips and sent him a teasing smile, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Maybe now, you should take those 'how to be a good father' lessons from Sonic this time."

He grunted and pulled her against him for a kiss, a deep loving kiss that banished the cold air away from her body. She was happy. She was happy that _he_ was happy about the news as well.

It felt three years ago was only yesterday. Where they met in Scott's office. Where he became her bodyguard. They tied the knot a year ago and now one year later, they were fulfilling their dreams. Becoming parents were always on their mind and Tikal loved talking about the possibility with him but... having it _actually_ happen was a whole new feeling. And it felt _amazing._

Tikal Cordae... _it had a nice ring to it._

"Have you come up with any names yet?" she asked when they broke apart, giggling when her peppered her with another kiss, "I'm not really good with them."

"It's a little too early but..." Shadow pressed his hand again on her belly, "Crystal if it's a girl... Ark if it's a boy."

"You've obviously thought ahead," she teased him and put her own hand over his, "They're lovely names, Shadow," carefully, she looked at the hedgehog then, "Would... Would you like to ever have more than one?"

"Probably," he answered honestly, another smile etching across his lips as he leaned in, sweeping back some of her dreads and held her cheek, "If you're okay with that."

"Yeah," Tikal rubbed their noses together, her smile widening, "I'm definitely okay with that."


End file.
